


The Pirate Queen

by Nope_Not_Today



Category: One Piece
Genre: Abuse, Adventure, But I will still keep updating here too, Didn't mean to confuse anyone, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Follows the Manga, M/M, Memory Loss, Mentions of other characters from the manga, Now transferred to Wattpad, Strong Language, Torture, Violence, spoiler warning, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:33:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24546211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nope_Not_Today/pseuds/Nope_Not_Today
Summary: Luffy watched her mouth open and then close. She was pouting at him now and glaring. Looks like he just pissed off a witch. *Wonder if she will put a spell on me now?*Luffy's journey to find the One Piece was becoming interesting. After having Usopp back by his side, he felt invincible once again. As if the entire world was coming together all around him. But one wrong move landed him poisoned and in the care of a witch. Despite the deadly circumstances, Luffy decides to have her join them on his journey. With no memory of who she is and a large bounty placed on her head, was that rash decision the last he ever made? Or was this the beginning of an adventure more tantalizing than the One Piece itself?
Relationships: Monkey D Luffy/OC
Kudos: 36





	1. Author's Note

Hello!

I just wanted to pop in and give a quick run down of what is to come in this story. As the tags do state, there will be graphic mentions of abuse, violence and torture. I will make sure to warn everyone in the notes of each chapter when it's mentioned. This work takes place after Usopp officially rejoins the crew. I will be slightly following the chapters from then on so here is your spoiler warning. I also want to thank everyone who is taking the time to read this as it has taken me nearly two years just to come up with the completed idea. I hope this adventure is worth your time. I will be updating this work every Sunday. Please enjoy! (I do not own One Piece nor do I take claim to it's story.)

~Edit~

Hi again. I just wanted to clarify now that, due to a few unfortunate events this year, my schedule for updating this fan fiction was placed on hold. I am now back on track and will continue updating every Sunday from now on. Thank you for your patience. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins.....

His head  **_throbbed_ ** . That's all Luffy could focus on. The pulsating rhythmic beat coming from his skull was overwhelming: His ears ringing from the pressure. It was different from any hang over he’s ever had. With those, usually the smallest sound set off the pain; but, this pain was derived from itself. He couldn’t pinpoint how he ended up feeling this way or why his body was just as sore. All he knew was wherever he was, it was  _ hot.  _ Breathing in, Luffy focused on his hands. The base of his finger tips slowly tracing the surface he was on. It hurt to think, hands spreading further apart from his plaint form and searching for a better clue as to where he was. Despite the heat he felt, beneath his palms was a bitter cold that made him groan.

There was a sudden cool texture now resting over his forehead. It was wet, drops of the unknown liquid sliding down his temples and making a gentle trail down his cheeks. It was soothing.  _ So much better.  _

Luffy’s focus relaxed slightly, his idle hands resting gently back against his side. He felt his conscious flicker in and out as the pounding in his head became slightly bearable. When he finally came back into his senses, he found himself slowly opening his eyes and meeting darkness. It wasn’t unexpected to him but the pain that flared behind his eyes made his vision go fuzzy. He felt the air move beside him and managed to tip his head slightly to the left. Unfortunately, the angle wasn’t enough to catch whatever took the damp relief from his forehead. His mouth was dry, throat warm and itchy. Despite the pain, Luffy licked his chapped lips and softly mumbled, “..ho….ar...?”

The damp material met his forehead once again, making him close his eyes and sigh. When he opened them again, he was able to make out the darkness a bit better. His head tipped even further to the left and something blue met his gaze.

“Go back to sleep.” The voice was a soft whisper. He almost didn’t catch it. 

That answer intrigued him, his left hand inching further away from his body. The floor had many indents lining it. Luffy couldn’t make out a pattern nor did he care at that moment. He wanted to find the voice, hand now picking up a steady pace. He considered the proximity of it and focused all of his remaining strength into shooting his arm to his left, hand grasping the air until it managed to snag something. He gripped whatever it was as hard as he could until he felt it shaking. His eyes focused harder on the blue color until he realized it was eyes.

He swallowed thickly,”Where am I?”

This time the voice kept silent. Despite his tight grip, Luffy felt his own strength waver a bit. He continued to stare into the eyes that met his, determined to at least get an answer before he passed out. He felt something curl around his hand as his grip began to loosen. As his arm fell slack, the hand that held his gently unclured his fingers and placed it back by his side. He found his vision darkening, the blue he was straining his sight on now fading along with his consciousness.

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When he wakes up, his throat feels like it’s on fire. Each inhale feels like jagged glass slicing into the back of his throat. He groans, trying to swallow but cannot dissuade his need for something to drink. His fingers claw into the metallic floor weakly, muscles flexing in pain. The ache in his head continued to pound louder and louder as the pain around his closed eyes strained once again. He sensed a new brightness to his surroundings and couldn’t seem to open his eyes.

Something cool curled along the back of his neck and lifted him slowly. He whined in protest until another cool material was pressed between his lips. As they parted, water began to trickle into his mouth. For a minute, all Luffy could do was swallow until his need for more of it overcame his body. Despite the pain, Luffy pressed his left elbow onto the ground beneath him and lifted his body up higher. His right hand curled around another as he tipped the container of water further into his mouth. He took as many full gulps as he could before he fell back against the hand around his neck with a satisfied sigh. He felt himself being lowered onto something softer than the floor. This intrigued him, his eyes managing to flutter open and adjust to the light. As his vision cleared, he noticed the grooves in the metal ceiling. His eyes casually roamed over the environment around him. He appeared to be in a closed off room with every wall consisting of the same material. He tipped his head to the right and noticed how close he was to one of the walls. A few feet away from it, actually. Turning to the other direction, immediately he noticed her. With long waves of light pink hair that folded over bare shoulders, Luffy traced the curve of her arms as they moved up and down in an area that was out of his range of sight. She was sitting on her knees with her back straight. He lazily watched the fabric of her torn dress, the hem falling to the middle of her thighs with stains adorning the layered edges. It was a light blue color that shaded into a darker tone around her chest. There was a design to it, lines curling and folding along her stomach and around the thin straps that hung loosely at her shoulders.

  
  


Luffy’s eyes trailed up the long curls of her hair, noticing the smoother edges that formed at the scalp and finally got to her face. The blue eyes that met his once before were focused intently on whatever task she was doing, her pink lips pursed together in concentration. He watched her for a while before growing bored. He slowly propped his body’s weight against his left elbow and turned on his side. His eyes flicked down to her small hands and widened instantly.

“My hat!” He sat up, left arm reaching out and snatching his hat without any hesitation. He narrowed his eyes on it and began to turn it slowly. His eyes stopped on a few pieces of straw that were out of place and immediately set his full attention on whomever this girl was,”What were you doing to it?!”

She was sitting slightly farther from him, her blue eyes wide with surprise and fear. He watched her chest rise and fall faster as she replied hesitantly,”I was fixing it!” Luffy’s eyes narrowed on her, gaze going back to where the few strands of straws were and then frowned,”Why is it out of place?!” He turned the mentioned area on the hat around so she could see it and glared.

He noticed her lips fold tightly together as her eyes flicked from the hat to him. She let out a sigh and pointed to the spot on the hat with a shaky hand,”When you were brought here, those men had stepped on your hat. It caused a few pieces of straw to untangle so I was weaving them back together.”

Luffy blinked, unsure of what she just said. The pounding in his head was getting to him again, making him lower his hat slightly and groan. He continued to stare at her, noticing the depth of which her blue eyes provided. Her breathing had calmed slightly as she slowly slid towards him. She held out the hand she pointed with and said,”I promise you that I was only fixing it.”

Luffy glanced at her outstretched hand and then back up to her face. She was smiling at him now. He found it infectious. He grinned at her and placed his hat into her grasp,”Ok! Then keep at it!” Her smile widened as she placed her attention back onto the hat and continued to intertwine the remaining pieces. When she was finished, she met his eyes again and handed his hat back to him,”It’s all done now.”

Excited, Luffy placed his hat on top of his head and chuckled to himself. He watched her go back to the area she had been in, now noticing the one huge container filled with water and a towel. He noticed another smaller one that was slightly filled with water beside it. The fuzziness in his head began to clear up when he noticed the cloth next to him. It had been what his head rested on. He casually picked it up and recognized the blue color,”Is this from your dress?”

She turned back to him and nodded,”That’s right. I ripped it off and used it as a cushion for your head.”

Luffy tipped his head to the right,”So, does that mean you’re a doctor?”

Her lips tipped up into a sly grin,”No.”

“Then what are you?”

“A witch."

“A witch?! Really?!” Luffy felt his body buzz with excitement, forgetting the rest of his aches and pain as he leaned closer to her. He examined her body once again, searching for any indications of witchcraft.  _ Whatever that could be.  _ His eyes found her arms again and widened. There were scars. Many scars that littered her pale skin. Some long that circled around her bicep and others short with noticeably deep incisions. He then turned to her legs and realized that they too had several scars as well. 

“Are you ok?” His eyes glanced up and met hers, hearing concern within her voice. He rubbed his chin with his right hand in curiosity and sat straight,”Are witches supposed to have that many scars?”

She shrugged,”Who knows? Maybe they are.”

Luffy’s eyes narrowed,”Why……...why aren’t you sure? You’re a witch, right?”

He watched her stare at him silently until she slowly broke out into a grin,”Actually, I have no idea who I am: But being a witch sounds cool, right?”

Luffy frowned,”If you’re not a witch, then who are you?”

She shrugged again, this time with her hands thrown up in exasperation,”Again, I don’t know. But, who knows? Maybe I am a witch and I just don’t remember it!”

“Huh?!”

She let out a sigh and dropped her hands into her lap,”I’m sorry to confuse you so much considering how you’ve been feeling. I just figured I’d take your mind off the pain-”

Luffy blinked, brows creased,”By putting a spell on me?”

She narrowed her eyes at him,”I never said anything about a spell-”

“Aren’t you supposed to be green?”

“Are you stereotyping me from witches based on folklore?”

“What does that even mean?!”

“It means I'm not going to look exactly like every witch!”

“You’ve met other witches?!”

“No!”

“So how would you know?!”

Luffy watched her mouth open and then close. She was pouting at him now and glaring. Looks like he just pissed off a witch.  _ Wonder if she will put a spell on me now?  _ He was starting to feel light headed, his body heat rising and the need to regurgitate becoming dire. His vision was growing hazy. He could barely make out the witch. His eyelids fluttered, body feeling as if something heavy just perched itself atop his shoulders. There was something cool against Luffy’s forehead and as he strained to keep his eyes open, she was in his space with the back of her hand pressed to his head. 

“You’re still very warm. You should lie back down and get some rest.” Luffy couldn’t even think of a reason not too. His body suddenly went slack, head falling to his left as he faded out of consciousness. 

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It was dark when his eyes fluttered open. The pain within his head was dulled by the sudden chill dissipating within the room. Feeling relieved, Luffy went to turn onto his side when his hand felt something wet beside him. Had he soiled himself? He sniffed.  _ Nope, not pee.  _ The damp area was under his left palm and had spread just below his elbow. He wrinkled his nose and slowly pushed his body up. He squinted through the darkness, trying to make out his surroundings once again. His right hand patted the ground.  _ Same floor. Same room.  _ Which meant the witch was also here. Luffy whipped his head to the left and could barely make out the figure in front of him.

“Oi…” He whispered, the silence that held the room was suspicious. Gaining no response, Luffy repositioned himself on the floor. The ache in his joints had ceased temporarily to which he was grateful as he managed to get to his feet.

_ Fuck!  _ His body lost balance instantly, rocking forward and colliding his knees into the hard ground. His right hand fell into a deeper pool of the strange liquid while his left collided with something metallic. It clattered next to him. Luffy cautiously felt the ground around him until his left knuckle gently bumped into the source of the noise. He quickly used both hands to feel it and realized it was the large bowl with the rag inside it.  _ So it’s the water from the bowl.  _

His ears picked up a muffled groan in front of him as something brushed against his right hand. He quickly retracted both, the bowl now clattering on the ground once again. The ringing stopped, leaving Luffy to remain within the silence of this dark room once again. He puffed out his cheeks in boredom,”Hey, witch-”

“Keep your voice low. I’m right in front of you.” He squinted his eyes, searching for her. The darkness was too thick and it was getting rather annoying. There was another touch to his right hand which made him retract his limbs once again,”That’s just my hand.”  _ Makes sense. _

When the touch settled on his hand a third time, Luffy recognized the fingers that curled around his palm. He could hear shuffling beside him and felt something warm press against his leg. He turned his head towards his right and decided to focus on tracing the witch’s hand,”The bowl spilled over.”

“Yes, I know. I was knocked into it.”  _ Huh? _

Her hand began to map out his as well, brushing his knuckles and finger tips. It was weird but a nice distraction from the pain. He listened to her breathe beside him and felt his eyes close slowly,”Why are you touching my hand?” The menstruation stopped, leaving a weird chill lingering against his skin.

Her voice was shaky,”I’m sorry. I guess you can say I'm a little afraid and needed comfort. Would you like me to let go of it?” 

His brows creased together, brain feeling that steady thump once again. He sighed,”No, ‘was just asking.” Her tracing of his hand slowly continued before her slim fingers slid between his and gripped his hand harshly. That made his eyes open once again, head turning to the right in curiosity,”What are you afraid of?”

There was a soft chuckle beside him before her voice cracked,”I  _ wish  _ I knew.” He heard her sniff and after a few minutes Luffy could smell salt.  _ Is she crying? _

He swallowed and slowly took off his hat. He smiled as he placed it on top of her head, which was more difficult than he first imagined. Despite the darkness, it slipped onto her head and prompted a gasp,”Is….is that your hat?”

“Yeah. It’s an important hat given to me by a friend of mine.”

“So, why am I wearing it?”

“Well, this hat was given to me so I could keep it safe. So, you should feel safe while wearing it.”

She squeezed his hand tighter and he could hear the smile in her voice,”Thank you.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


Luffy didn’t know when he passed out but the position he woke up in was odd and painful. His neck was tilted to the right, head resting on something hard but soft. His right leg was warmer than his left and his hand felt heavy. He could feel the light was back before he opened his eyes, vision adjusting faster than previously before. His view was at an angle, eyes widening at the sound of breathing right next to his ear. He felt his body shoot up straight, whatever he had been pressed up against now fallen onto his shoulder. His eyes flashed to his right and found pink. It was the witch. His memory clicked together, recalling the darkness and his hat. Speaking of his hat, it was placed just over his thigh and hers with her right hand curled around the edge of it. He grinned, putting it back onto his head and finally noticed their intertwined hands. 

The warmth had grown during his slumber, making the two of their hands rather sticky with sweat. He frowned,  _ Uncomfortable.  _ He went to take his hand back when he felt the head on his shoulder move. Glancing to his right, he watched the witch’s head rise off his and tip to the right,”Damn, my neck.” She used her right hand to massage the sore area on her neck and sighed. Luffy felt her fingers twitch against his own before they slid away from his palm, leaving it to chill in the sudden absence of the heat. Her blue eyes met his, cheeks dusting in pink,”I’m sorry about all that. I didn’t mean to invade your space.” Her eyes flicked up towards his hat and back down to him, lips spreading into a small smile,”Thank you again. I appreciate how kind you were. Your hat is very comforting. I can only imagine how you must feel with it everyday.”

Luffy grinned at that,”Oh, yeah! I haven’t taken it off since Shanks gave it to me!”

Her smile grew at that,”That’s amazing. I can’t imagine you ever going anywhere without it now.”

“Yeah, that would never happen.” 

She giggled at that and raised both hands over her head, stretching her back. Luffy noticed her face grimace slightly and followed her gaze down to her legs. Legs that were littered with bruises,”What the hell happened to your legs?”

The witch brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and sighed. He waited until her eyes met his, watching as they widened and immediately flicked to another direction,”I...fell. I’ll be okay.”

Luffy’s eyes narrowed,”You mentioned you were pushed yesterday…” His eyes traced the grown until he noticed the lopsided container and the rag that seemed dry now. The water appeared to have dried up as well. He glanced back at her and noticed both of her hands curling around the hem of her dress,”Who did this to you?”

She took in a deep breath, her chest pushing forward until it fell back,”Do you remember why I had to fix your hat?” Luffy nodded. She glanced at him before letting out another sigh, her legs folding up as her arms wrapped around them,”Well, they visited us while you were asleep. We were out of water and I asked them if we could have more…..” He watched one of her hands trace one of the bigger purple bruises on the side of her left leg.

  
  


“They laughed and attacked me for awhile. I woke up in darkness after that.”

Luffy’s hands clenched into the fabric of his shorts,”How many times?”

“Hm?”

“How many times have they done this to you?”

  
  
  


“Enough to get used to it.” He felt his entire face heat up. This time, no pain followed. 

  
  


They sat in silence again, her head resting against her knees. Her face was shaded behind her hair, which was probably for the best. He didn’t want to scare her but the rage inside him was building and showed on his face. He clenched his teeth in anger, cursing himself for missing all the signs before. Here he was sleeping while the only person who’s helping him is getting beaten. It made him sick.

  
  
  


“I figured you knew.” Her voice caught him off guard. He turned his attention to her and noticed her eyes staring intently at the wall in front of them,”I just assumed this room screamed ‘prison cell’. But I guess that’s just how my brain works…..”

“We’re in a prison?” His eyes roamed around the room again, noticing the door adjacent to them with bars lining the window frame. 

“No, this is a boat. But the room is so cut off from everything that you can't even notice the rocking.”

  
  


_ Boat?  _ Luffy faintly remembers seeing one. It was in the distance off the shore of an island his crew had stopped at. But, where were they? 

He turned to look at the witch, “So if it’s not a prison, why are you here?”

  
  
  


“Because she is a criminal, my boy!” Luffy’s eyes darted straight towards the door, watching as a slim man sauntered into the room with his right hand resting between the folds of his yukata. He carried a piece of brown paper folded in the other hand and flicked it into Luffy’s lap. Luffy glanced down at it, hands slowly opening it up. His eyes widened.

“And she’s worth a fortune.”

Luffy crushed the paper within his hands and glared menacingly at the man. His dull green eyes met his rage and offered a sly smirk. He snapped his fingers together and two men strolled in, carrying two containers. One full of water, the other filled with something he couldn’t quite recognize. They were placed on the ground in front of them with both men exiting the room as quickly as they had entered it. He continued to glare at the man, growing angrier at that ever growing smirk,”Alive, that is. You on the other hand won't be needed much longer.” With that, he too left the room and slammed the door right behind him.

Luffy could hear it now. His eyes went back to the girl, noticing her face buried within her hands as her body shook with each sob. He glanced down at the crumpled paper in his fist and decided to unravel it once again. 

There she was, lips dark and hair tied up in a weird braid. She was wearing the same blue dress but with more fabric and less rips. Below her image was the name Lily Rose. Her worth comes at just under a billion berries. 

“Apparently my name is Lily.” Luffy jerked his head up, eyes meeting hers. They were still watery with a few tears streaming down her cheeks,”I didn’t expect to find out from a wanted poster. Maybe I am a witch after all.” Lily wiped a few stray tears from dripping down her chin and smiled sadly at Luffy. The sight made his stomach twist,”I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“Why don’t you fight back?”

She blinked, her brows creasing together in confusion,”What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Luffy tossed the paper aside and fully turned his body to face Lily,”Why haven’t you tried to escape? Or stand up for yourself?”

“What would I be standing up for?”

It was Luffy’s turn to raise his brows,”Huh?”

She wiped again at her damp cheeks and sniffed,”Think about it. I know nothing about myself. I woke up alone on a tree branch in a dark forest and it was days before I came into contact with another human being. Before I knew it, I was here: On a ship with pirates who want to kill me but who need me alive just enough to collect my bounty.” She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself,”And part of me believes I deserve this.”

“ **_Why?_ ** ”

She opened her eyes and met his wide eyes with an empty look,”They only give a bounty like that to those who need to be stopped. It wasn’t too hard to connect the dots.”

  
  


Luffy narrowed his eyes and huffed,”That’s stupid.” 

Lily rolled her eyes and sighed,”Yeah well what’s your big theory as to why I’m worth so much?”

Luffy blinked slowly before grinning,”Well, because you’re a powerful witch!”

She frowned at him,”How can you be so sure that I am one?”

“Because you healed me!”

“That doesn’t make me a witch. That makes me competent.”

“I’m pretty sure you put a spell on me. After all, I’m feeling  _ so  _ much better.”

Lily gave him another infectious smile,”I’m glad. Hopefully you’ll be able to escape then.”

Luffy jumped up, managing to keep himself on his toes without falling on his face and held his right hand out towards Lily,”I will if you come with me.”

She glanced up at him and parted her lips, face contorting in thought. Her lips came together after a minute of silence,”That’s sweet of you. But I’m not sure I can stand right now-”

“I’ll carry you.”

“Then how would you fight with me in your arms? I’ll be ok-” 

“I’m not leaving without you.”

That caught her off guard, her eyes widening at the serious tone Luffy used. He watched her swallow, hands clutching her dress again,”You barely know me. I don’t even know your name-”

“It’s Luffy.”

“-and you shouldn’t endanger yourself for my sake.” She was glaring at him now, sitting up straighter in her spot on the floor,”Who knows what I’ve done. What if I’m evil?”

“You’re not.”

“Luffy-”

“The past doesn't matter to me. It’s who you choose to be now that counts.” Luffy turned himself around and knelt down, both arms lifting backwards towards Lily’s form,”Now climb on.” He waited patiently, his confidence soaring as he felt her small hands grasp his shirt. She curled her arms around his throat and slid her legs above his hands. With a heave, Luffy managed to stand with her secured tightly to his back.

He limped towards the door and grinned ear to ear,”Let’s get out of here!” He lifted his leg and kicked the door, watching as the wood cracked around the nails and flew forward. He could feel the sharp inhale from Lily and finally walked into the sunlight.

  
  
  


“ _ Well it’s about goddamn time _ !”


	3. Chapter 2

“ _Well it’s about goddamn time!_ ” Luffy’s gaze adjusted through the haze of dust and sunlight, focusing on a smiling blond who met his eyes with surprise. He was standing before them, hands perched on his hips as Luffy adjusted Lily in his hold and stepped further out onto the open space of the deck. His weight shifted from foot to foot, Luffy’s adrenaline beginning to fade just as fast as it came. Luffy swept his eyes up and down the blond man’s form, taking in the freshly shaved beard and spotless grey suit. If it weren’t for his face, Luffy could have mistaken him for Sanji. His bangs were gelled back, the long length slightly curling at the back of his head. He looked _young._ Perhaps the same age as Luffy himself. The aura around him was all too familiar as if, _somehow,_ they’ve met before. There was a trail of dust dissipating beneath his feet, his right foot propped up against one of the larger pieces of debris from the door. Luffy began to notice the other pieces scattered around them, neatly forming a circle of destruction.

A chuckle brought his attention right back to the man, his smile now curved into a wicked grin,”I didn’t realize the **great** Monkey D. Luffy was _that_ weak.”

Luffy blinked,“ _Huh?”_

“Took three _entire_ days for you to finally stand and **still** you’re wobbling on your feet.” The blond’s gaze sharpened, hands slipping into the pockets of his pants as he kicked the rumble out from beneath his foot,”Well, destroying the door was impressive nonetheless.”

_Who was this guy?_ Luffy decided to ignore him, head turning to his left as his eyes followed the path along a twisting staircase that stopped atop the upper bow of the ship. Leaning against the railing overlooking the deck was the man in the yukata, his right hand still resting limply in the folds exposing his chest. He was watching the interaction with a disinterested frown, fingers brushing against the outer layer of the cigar clenched between his teeth. His men were shadowing behind his form, sharing glares and sneers at him with anticipation. 

“ _Oh_?” Luffy’s attention went back to the blond who was now mere inches from his face, his right arm raised awkwardly over his shoulder. There was something dark laced in his voice, a strange unease throbbing against his skull,”So you still look away? Am I not enticing enough to have your full attention?” He felt Lily’s body tense, his eyes glancing to his right and finally noticing the man’s outstretched hand cupping her face. Immediately, Luffy lunged back, the heels of his sandals skidding to the left as the blond’s gaze followed him.

Luffy’s head began to feel heavy, a twisting sensation forming in the pit of his stomach as he dodged a punch to his shoulder. His back was now to the yukata man, eyes adjusting to the blinding glare of the afternoon sun as the blond undid the cuffs of his jacket. He shrugged the material off his shoulders and tossed it overboard without hesitation. The white undershirt that clung to his lean form shimmered within the sunlight, his left fingers loosening the tie hanging around his collar. He grinned,”That was a rather quick response. Maybe you’re not as weak as I assumed.” 

Luffy smiled at that,”Of course I’m strong. I’m going to be the Pirate _King_.”

Did this guy not know what a ‘King’ was? _Wait, does he not know-_

This time the blond snickered, his head shaking as he managed to unwrap the tie from around his neck,”And yet you fell in mere seconds after I poisoned you. Can’t say I find that trait in the _Kings_ I’ve met.”

Luffy’s smile fell. There was a sudden flash in his mind: A familiar sensation of dread growing within the pits of his stomach as he stared at the oddly familiar man who had, what can only be described as, a _‘Sanji’_ vibe. _He could be Sanji_ , Luffy mused to himself, stomach rumbling at the mere thought of his chef. But Sanji wasn’t the type to poison him. Or was he? He definitely beat the crap out of him. A lot. Maybe he was out to kill Luffy. _Probably._

_What if he poisoned the meat?_ Luffy shuddered at the thought, gaining a rather perplexed look from his cook's doppelganger. 

Speaking of meat, _Where is Sanji?_

Luffy bit his lip, feeling the gears in his head shift at the thought of his crew's absence, ”Where’s my crew?” 

The blond continued to grin, casually striding closer to him,”Is that really what you should be worrying about right now?” His green eyes flicked slightly to Luffy’s right, arching his brow smugly,”Or have you really not noticed the current state of that girl?”

Luffy immediately turned his head, recognizing the mop of pink hair slightly falling over his shoulder. He readjusted Lily in his hold, feeling her forehead firmly press into his shoulder as her arms dangled behind him,”Oi! Witch!” She was limp in his arms; but, from what he could feel against his back, she was breathing. 

“Y’know,” The man was in his face once again, making Luffy extremely uncomfortable and dizzy. His eyes matched Luffy’s in a hard glare, the latter noticing a few scars littering his left jaw and neck. Had it not been for the close proximity, Luffy would have never noticed them,”I am _very_ curious as to why you decided to take her with you. Especially considering that you’re not fully healed.”

“You’re getting annoying to listen to.” Sanji or not, this man was getting on his nerves. Despite the rage fogging his senses, Luffy felt his limbs start to wobble under the man’s intense gaze. He needed to get them out of there **_now_ ** !,”Either fight me or **_move._ **”

“You are free to leave.” Luffy slowly turned his head, eyes rising to meet the glare of the man in the yukata as he put out his cigarette with the sole of his sandal. His face scrunched together in disdain, his left hand firmly clenching the railing,”But the bounty stays here.”

_Bounty?_ It was becoming hard to breathe, each inhale feeling sharp and jagged within his lungs. It was kind of like drowning: Except there was no water. Speaking of water, when was the last time he had any? _So thirsty…._ Luffy blinked, “So…..I can go?”

The man in the yukata somehow managed to look angrier than before, his lips parting slightly before his teeth clenched together,”Hand over the **_bounty_ ** and you may go.”

_What does that even mean?_ Luffy spared a quick glance down at his appearance, frowning at the budding pain behind his eyes. He was still in his shorts, although clinging uncomfortably to his skin. There were a few darker stains around his crotch and the hem of his left pant leg, making Luffy wonder if he peed recently. How many days did _San_ -that creepy dude say it was? Three? How long can someone go without pissing? How long has the witch been here? Did she pee? Luffy groaned slightly, _wait, what did that guy say again? Bounty?_ That word sounded familiar. It was the type of word he can only associate Nami with. And anything associated with Nami meant one thing and one thing only: Treasure!

Luffy gazed at his pockets and frowned. He doesn’t usually carry anything more than the allowance Nami gives him. By now, all of that may have been confiscated. Or perhaps Luffy dropped it somewhere again. He glanced back up towards the man in the yukata who seemed to be holding some weird hand gesture towards the men behind him and tried to think of a solution. One that _hopefully_ didn’t involve him giving away all his treasure and Nami hitting him until he was dead. _Nami definitely would kill me._

“I can give you it after I return to Sunny.” _Or Nami could punch all of you instead of me._

There was a visible throbbing vein forming at the yukata man’s temple, his outstretched hand balling into a fist by his side,”I meant the **_woman!_ **”

“ _Oh!_ ” So _that’s_ what he meant. _He should have just said so..._ Luffy found himself grinning again, relieved that he didn’t have to die today,”No way I’m doing that.”

“How interesting!” The blond spoke beside him, smiling suspiciously at Luffy. Luffy casually glanced at him, finding the blond’s face incredibly irritating. He kind of expected to see smoke curling from his lips,”Why do you _want_ her? Is it the money or perhaps her bod-”

Luffy managed to shift Lily’s body towards his left arm and curved a right hook towards the blond man. Unfortunately, the annoying man was quicker than him and dodged it. He was cackling now, grinning wider than before. Luffy huffed, his energy draining under the weight of the illness. Or poison, _if it even was that._ His legs were shaking, shoulders hunching over as he panted beneath the weight of Lily. He needed to….. _I need to-_

“She **saved** me.” His voice is shaky but the words managed to reach both men clearly. Luffy forced his head to raise slightly so that his glare caught the similar glint in the yukata man’s eyes,”And I **will** return the favor.”

“If that is your resolve-” The man slipped his hand on the hilt of his sword, drawing it slowly so that the blade shimmered in the sunlight,”Then you shall die where you stand.”

“ **_Agreed._ **”

Luffy’s vision became spotty, his ragged breaths becoming faint as a strong gust of wind hit his back, knocking Luffy down to his knees. There were shouts from above and a few slurred curses. The sound of the sword gliding through the air rang towards his right, making him jump slightly. Lily’s form slid off his frame and hit the deck with a _thud_ to his left. Luffy reached blindly to his side, found her wrist and managed to pull her frame beneath him as he braced himself over her protectively. As the roar of wind dissipated around him, Luffy inhaled deeply and managed to even out his breathing. 

“You are a man of your word, aren’t you **Strawhat** ?” Footsteps creaked beneath the wood around him, the smell of blood wafting from below. Luffy strained his eyes to look closely at Lily, gazing over her pale face, arms, and legs. She had a few scrapes along her arms but otherwise was unharmed. He exhaled a sigh of relief, his eyes shutting briefly as a wave of dust brushed across his face. A foreign touch ran through the strands of his hair and tugged roughly, forcing his head to face upward. Luffy winced, his left eye peering open slowly and making out the slim figure of the blond,”I trust that we will meet once again. Perhaps then you can show me how _capable_ you are.” 

Luffy inhaled sharply, his left eyes shutting immediately as a blinding light illuminated above him. The harsh vortex of wind knocked his body further down as the remaining strength that kept him conscious was drained bit by bit. There was a distant shout and a loud ring in his ears as Luffy fully dipped into the darkness waiting to swallow him whole. 

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_“Dammit Luffy, stop catching sharks!”_

_The kick to his head hurt just as it usually did: With the skin around his temple swelling into a bruised knot and the ache along his jaw structure throbbing immensely. But it was_ **_worth it_ ** _. Or that’s what he told himself, laughter bubbling from his wide grin as he continued to throw his line into the sparkling blue ocean. Sanji blew out a puff of smoke beside him, his arms resting on the railing Luffy perched himself upon with his visible eye narrowing on the thin cord of his fishing rod,”At this rate, the aquarium will be filled with more blood than water.”_

_“But the sharks are yummy!” Sanji gave him a side-eyed glare, his fingers curling around the slim death stick pursed between his lips. He let out a bigger cloud of nicotine and averted his gaze to the rolling waves of the sea,”We need_ **_variety_ ** _, Luffy. Meaning if I catch you placing another shark in that tank, I will feed you vegetables for an entire week.”_

_The rod nearly slipped through his hands at that, his breath catching in quiet horror as he stared with wide eyes at Sanji’s form,”Okay.” He spoke softly, catching the indifferent stare of his cook as he took one last drag and flicked the bud into the sea. With a nod and a firm pat atop his shoulder, Sanji left Luffy to his lonesome once again as he continued waiting patiently for another fish to snag his line._

_Luffy grinned to himself, enjoying the sunshine and replayed the events of last week in the forefront of his mind. It felt great seeing Robin smile again and what was just as great, if not_ better _, had been the grand feast Sanji made afterwards. Luffy’s stomach rumbled at the lingering taste on his tongue, eyes lazily watching the line drag against the current. He couldn’t wait to eat again._

_“You sure are quiet.”_

_Luffy’s eyes flicked briefly to his right, catching a glimpse of bright blonde hair and a long grey tie._ Huh, Sanji came back. _Luffy turned his attention back towards the water,”No need to worry, I won’t catch any more sharks.”_

_There was a low laugh, which had been quiet compared to the snickers he often heard from Sanji, and a drawled sigh,”Can’t say I was worried about that. Or ever thought about it for that matter.”_

_Well that was weird. Didn’t Sanji just give him a concussion because of sharks? Luffy decided to fully turn to look at Sanji, now more perplexed than before. He had changed into a slightly lighter shade of black-_ or was that grey?- _suit. It had these weird designs along the seams with a flowered pattern stitched into the hem of his sleeves. The tie seemed familiar but it was way too loose than how he usually wore them. And his eyes! He could see both of them!_

_“Wow, I’ve never seen you wear your hair like that! That’s so cool that you have two eyes!”_

_Sanji seemed a bit taken back by his excitement, his body leaning further down the railing from Luffy. He was smiling though, which is just as rare!_ What a day this was becoming _,”Uh, well thanks? I’m glad you’re so thrilled about that.”_

_“So what are you doing out here?” The weirdest thing about Sanji’s appearance was perhaps the lack of nicotine in the air. Luffy couldn’t smell the slightest whiff of it and he was pretty sure every single outfit Sanji owned smelled like his brands of cigarettes._

_“I’m on a mission.”_ Mission? _The fuck did that mean? Was there some treasure hunt Nami wasn’t informing him about again?_

_“Is it a treasure hunt?!”_

_Sanji folded his lips together in thought before they spread wide into a grin,”I guess you could say that.” So they were ditching him for an adventure._ Well, fuck that!

_“I wanna come too! You can’t just leave me behind-”_

_“Hey Luffy, do you know where my-_ Whoa! _Who the fuck are you?!”_

_Luffy twisted around, noticing the shaking figure of Usopp pointing some strange box towards Sanji. He was dressed down in his overalls again with a few stains accumulating under his armpits and down his chest. There was some kind of soot spread across his cheeks and forehead. It was even coating a few strands of his hair that fell straight against his damp temples. His jaw was dropped wide as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Which made sense. Sanji having two eyes was like witnessing meat dance._

_“Luffy!” Usopp cried, his eyes wide like saucers and darting between him and Sanji as if seeing them together was never heard of,”What the_ fuck _?!”_

_Luffy grinned sheepishly,”I_ know _right?! He has two eyes after all, Usopp.”_

_Usopp lowered his arm, giving an extremely incredulous look towards Luffy,”What are you_ talking _about, Luffy? Who is this guy?!”_

_Luffy tipped his head to the right, turning his body away from the sparkling water and giggled,”What do you mean, Usopp? It’s Sanji!”_

_“_ **_What_ ** _?!”_

_Usopp’s jaw fell further while Sanji gave him a funny look._

_“What’s with all the shouting?! I’m trying to tan!” Luffy glanced across the lawn deck, catching the hardening glare Nami offered towards the three of them as she lifted her white shades. Her overall face lacked any interest whatsoever in what they were talking about as she slid the round glasses up into her bangs and arched a brow. She was wearing another new bikini she had bought with Robin a few islands ago. It looked smaller on her than her last one, but when Luffy pointed this out Sanji sent him flying into the sea._

_“Luffy, that’s not Sanji.” Luffy glanced back at Usopp who had backed up a bit. The strange box in his hand dropped to the deck, allowing his now empty hands to slip into the pockets of his overalls._

_“What are you talking about, Usopp?” Luffy outstretched his hand and placed it on Sanji’s right shoulder, patting it lightly,”Just because he has two eyes doesn’t mean this isn’t Sanji.”_

_“Two eyes? What-” Nami put down a pink sparkly drink she had been casually sipping on the stand next to her and sat up. Luffy noticed Robin appearing beside her as well, wearing her usual black attire despite the heat casting over them. There was a book dangling between her curled fingers with a few pages closed around her middle finger. She had been lying against the other lawn chair moments before Nami spoke and got up just to take a spot next to the navigator. She was leaning forward with her elbow on her knee and her chin propped against her empty palm as she studied Sanji with that scary smile of hers,”My, my. Isn’t this interesting?”_ God only knows what the fuck that meant-

_“Luffy, that isn’t Sanji!” Nami was standing now, her piercing gaze resting on him._

_“Of course it is!”_

_“Sanji doesn’t have green eyes, you_ idiot! _”_

_Luffy frowned at that, turning his attention back towards his cook and noticed the bright green irises._ Huh, _was that supposed to matter? Eye color? He didn’t even know his own, let alone anyone else's. He placed his fishing pole to the side and stepped down from the railing, searching Sanji once more: Looking for anything he couldn’t recognize. Which was everything._ Wait, for real, was this not Sanji-

_“Are you actually not Sanji?”_

_Maybe-Sanji blinked at him before shaking his head,”Nope.”_

**WHAT?!** _Luffy’s jaw met the floor._

“ _Why would you lie to me?!”_

_“I never lied to you-”_

_“You’re not Sanji!”_

_“Yes, I thought we establish-”_

_“Are you even going on a treasure hunt?!”_

_“Well, sort of-”_

_Luffy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could Not-Sanji betray him like this? Could he even cook? Was he even mad about the sharks?_

_“Luffy, I can’t believe you thought that was Sanji.” Nami stated, shaking her head and shooting him a disappointed look._

_“Well if you aren’t Sanji,” Usopp stated hesitantly, “Then what are you doing here?” His voice carried the same sense of alarm as it did whenever he had those strange diseases that ended up being cured when Nami hit him over the head._

_Not-Sanji raised his brow,”Isn’t it obvious?”_

_“Can’t say it is.” Nami stated, appearing beside Luffy with Robin following her departure from the chairs in toe. The redhead had a hand on her hip and a curious glint in her eyes as she made her way over to them, eyeing Not-Sanji up and down as if he was made of meat,”You know, from this angle, you do look like Sanji.”_

_Robin hummed in agreement, arms crossed over her chest as the book in her right hand tapped lightly at her side, “Even the suit is something cook-san would wear._ Interesting. _”_

_“Right?!” Luffy picked up his jaw and curled one hand around his chin, eyes studying Not-Sanji as he compared him to what he could recall about his chef,”I’m still pretty sure you are Sanji.”_

_“I’m not.”_

_“He’s not.” His crew chorused, which Luffy wisely decided to ignore. What did any of them know anyways? After a moment of thought, a smile returned to his lips as he snapped his fingers,”Y’know, Zoro would agree with me!” He craned his neck up, eyes narrowing on the giant mass above that happened to be the ship’s crows nest and cupped his hands around his mouth,”Oi! Zoro!”_

_“Luffy,” Nami’s hand curled around his wrist and tugged his arm down, meeting his smile with a roll of her eyes,”He’s just going to tell you the same thing. There’s no reason to-”_

_“Luffy-Bro!” Franky called from the right, descending down the stairs with Chopper hopping behind him as he smiled wide. He was in a new speedo he had bought after Robin strangely mentioned noticing it in a store window one evening on the last island. He wasn’t exactly sure what she said, as he was too busy chasing a griffin and drowning in the sea; But, from what Luffy could tell from Franky’s loud yammering as he was fixing Sunny with a few electrical tools, it was SUPER! The next day, he and Robin left the ship and he came back with the new look. It wasn’t anything different from what Franky typically wore, but why would Luffy even look there to begin with? It’s not like it was meat,”What’s happening up here?”_

_Luffy beamed at them, pushing his way past Nami and running up towards the two as their feet settled against the strands of grass along the deck,”Franky! Chopper! I need your help.”_

_Chopper tipped his head, eyes swimming in curiosity,”Help with what, Luffy? Don’t tell me you caught another shark-” His eyes peered across the others and landed on Not-Sanji. With a gasp, Chopper ran up to his Maybe-Cook’s side and gaped at his appearance,”Sanji, you look_ different _!”_

_“No, Chopper-”_

_“Right?!” Luffy grinned wider, feeling confident in his findings,”He_ is _Sanji.”_

_“Luffy-Bro…” Luffy glanced up at Franky who is now staring down at him with a similar look Nami had just given him,”That’s not Sanji.”_

_“What’s this about the cook?” Zoro questioned from behind Usopp, who cried out in surprise and mumbled something along the lines of ‘came from nowhere’ under his breath. Zoro didn’t spare a glance at him, his eyes focused on Luffy grinning madly._

_“Luffy thinks this is Sanji…” Nami stated with irritation._

_“It_ is _Sanji, Nami. He’s wearing a suit-”_

_“Sanji isn’t the only man alive that wears suits-”_

_“Well, actually-” Nami glared at Usopp before he could finish his sentence._

_“Wait, is this not Sanji?” Chopper questioned, stepping back and observing Maybe-Sanji at a better angle._

_“There’s no way that’s the cook.” Zoro stated, eyes flicking briefly from the man in question and Luffy. Luffy gaped at him, not sure if Zoro’s messing with him or not. The swordsman noticed his disbelief and pointed at Maybe-Sanji’s face,”Look, Luffy. He doesn’t have those shitty swirly brows-”_

_“What was that, marimo?!”_ Huh, now that sounded like Sanji. _Luffy turned his head towards the galley, noticing a strikingly familiar silhouette of his cook appearing from the doorway. There was another cigarette pursed between his lips and a rather large kitchen knife clutched in his left hand. Other-Sanji had a very heavy glare aimed at Zoro as well as his bangs covering his other eye. Speaking of eyes,_ Oh shit, they’re blue-

_“When did you get up there?”_

_“Luffy-Bro, what are you talking about?”_

_“So this_ isn’t _Sanji!”_

_“Yeah, Chopper-”_

_“What the hell are you going on about-” Possibly-Real-Sanji peered down, met the gaze of Maybe-Not-Sanji and frowned,”The fuck are you?”_

_“Well-”_

_“That’s not Sanji, is it?”_

_“Luffy, you can’t seriously still think that is Sanji! Sanji just came out of the kitchen!”_

_“But he’s not in a full suit-!” Which was true. Probably-Real-Sanji was just wearing a button up white shirt now and, instead of a tie, he had the top two buttons undone. Which is just as suspicious. Luffy gasped at the sudden thought,_ What if they’re both imposters?! 

_There was a sudden weight on his right shoulder, which dragged his attention to Franky who was shaking his head,”I’m gonna stop you right there and let you in on what’s going on.” Luffy nodded slowly, following Franky’s outstretched hand as he pointed to Probably-Real-Sanji,”That is our cook, Sanji.” Franky stated clearly, turning Luffy back to his crew with the hand on his shoulder and pointed to Not-Sanji,”And that is_ not _Sanji.”_

_“Oh!”_ Leave it to Franky to set things right.

_“I’m surrounded by idiots.”_

_“Doesn’t that make you an idiot, then?” Zoro grumbled, now supporting a throbbing knot on his forehead._

_Nami rubbed at her sore fist and gazed back at Not-Sanji,”So, who were you again?”_

_“Well,” Not-Sanji tugged at his loose tie and cracked his neck,”I’m not Sanji.” He glanced at Luffy and smiled,”Didn’t mean to deceive you on that.”_

_Luffy wasn’t sure if he could forgive Not-Sanji just yet. After all this time together, everything had unfolded so fast. He smiled anyways,”As long as you're not ditching me to go on a treasure hunt, it’ll be fine.”_

_Nami’s head snapped towards Luffy in surprise,”Wait-” She glanced back at Not-Sanji in curiosity,”What treasure hunt? There’s treasure?!”_

_Not-Sanji frowned slightly and shook his head,”Uh, no. Not really.” He glanced up at Real-Sanji and stepped forward until he was right beside Luffy and Franky at the bottom of the staircase. He grinned slightly,”I can see why they mistook me as you.”_

_“Don’t use ‘they’ when it was just one idiot.”_

_Sanji leaned an elbow against the railing and propped his chin in the palm of his right hand,”That does look similar to one of my suits. Where’d you get it?”_

_“It was hand tailored to me awhile ago.”_

_“Oh? What material?”_

_“Guys, really, what the fuck-”_

_“So you’re a cook now, huh?” The air shifted, Luffy noticed. The way Sanji’s lips fell into a frown was another sign that something was off. He could feel another person beside him and spotted a large tan hand resting on three sheathed swords. Not-Sanji was climbing the stairs slowly, not once taking his eyes away from Real-Sanji._

_Real-Sanji kept his gaze, fingers curling around his cigarette as he stood back up. As Not-Sanji came to a stop at the second floor, a chilling breeze brushed past the Sunny and its inhabitants. It was strange, considering today called for no wind at all. Or at least, that’s what Nami had said._

_Luffy glanced at Nami and noticed a look of terror in her eyes. He followed her fear towards the sky and gasped at the darkening color._ What happened to the sun?!

_“Are you implying I wasn’t before?” Luffy glanced back down to Real-Sanji, noticing now how much closer Not-Sanji has gotten to him._

_Not-Sanji only smiled, his steps pausing just a few inches away from Real-Sanji. There was a sickening grin spreading across Not-Sanji’s lips as he leaned over to Real-Sanji and whispered something drowned out by the onslaught of winds coming from behind. Nami had said something, her frame running up the steps towards the helm as she barked orders at everyone below. Luffy was torn from listening to her and watching as Sanji’s face paled, cigarette falling from his gaping mouth._ What the hell is going on?

_“LUFFY!”_

_Luffy immediately turned towards Nami, who had her arm outstretched towards the sea where a massive tidal wave had formed. Immediately, Luffy went to go assist his crew when something sharp pierced his neck. Luffy stopped in his tracks and slowly lifted his right hand to the back of his neck where his fingers curled around something familiar. He tugged at it, feeling whatever needle penetrate his skin come out and brought it to his face. For some reason, he couldn’t see what was in his hand. In fact, he couldn’t feel it anymore either. There was a sharp_ thwack _to his side and he fell, face first into the grass._

  
  


Luffy gasped, his body surging forward from it’s previous pliant position with the momentum throwing off whatever covering had lingered on top of him as well as an urgent desire to **_eat. Eat. EAT!_ **Tossing his legs over the side of the infirmary’s mattress, Luffy sprung from the bed and set out on a straight path towards the galley. His feet smacked loudly against the wooden floor as he threw open the infirmary door and rounded the deck until his palm pressed against the galley’s entrance. His fingers spread wide along the damp oak and flexed, sending the door off of its hinges and onto the table where Zoro, Chopper, Usopp, Nami and Franky had taken residence.

“Luffy?!”

“You’re up!”

“Why the hell are you out of bed?!”

Luffy ignored all of them, his eyes wandering the kitchen until he was staring into the back of Sanji’s head as the smell of simmering meat wafted into his nose. His stomach growled in response, cuing his chef to turn on his heel and place three full plates of meat on the table beside the door in front of him. Luffy immediately collapsed into one of the chairs and began inhaling the food until his starvation had simmered down to a lingering hunger. When he gazed back up towards the rest of his crew, he noticed the door’s disappearance as well as Franky’s.

“-can’t believe you broke my damn door..”

The smell of nicotine trailed across his cheeks as Luffy fanned the puffs of secondhand smoke Sanji shot his way. Luffy swallowed everything in his mouth and grinned at Sanji,”Sanji, you won’t believe it! I just dreamed there was another you-”

“That was real, dumbass.” His cook muttered, picking up the empty plates and heading over towards the sink. 

Luffy blinked at his retreating form and stuffed another drumstick into his mouth. _Oh, so it was?_ He surveyed the room, noticing the others staring at him in disbelief. Well, everyone but Zoro. He was sipping at his glass of what was probably sake and staring intently at Sanji. Which was never weird for Zoro. What _was_ strange is the absence of Not-Sanji. Luffy swallowed again,”So, where is Not-Sanji anyways?”

“Luffy,” he glanced down at Chopper, who had gotten up to examine the various itchy bandages wrapped tightly around his torso, and met his tearful gaze,”Do you really not remember what happened?”

Luffy blinked,”Hah?” He shoved another large piece of meat into his mouth.

He heard Nami sigh and watched as his navigator slouch in her chair across from him,”Well, that’s not a surprise.” She took a sip from a coffee mug, which was also probably nothing but liquor, and let out a drawled sigh. The room felt heavy then, his friends sharing a similar gloomy face as the silence settled around him. _Just what the fuck happened?_

“You were _poisoned,_ Luffy.” Chopper sniffed, placing his medical bag to the side and taking the seat next to Luffy. He turned to him then with those watery eyes and looked on the verge of crying,”And then….A-and then-n Sanji was-” Another plate of meat slammed onto the table top, jostling Chopper and making Luffy question his cook’s lack of care towards his china. 

“That guy took Sanji and poisoned you.” Nami stated, not once looking up from her mug,”We were caught off guard and the storm drew us to this island hidden in fog.” Slowly, she raised her head, her own eyes watering as they met his,”You _wouldn’t_ wake up. The ship took damage and we had to go into town to get supplies. And possible leads for Sanj’s whereabouts. And-” Her voice cracked then.

Luffy felt Chopper’s hoove atop his clenched fist, which bent the dry bone he held in half. His doctor let out a sigh,”Robin, Franky and I stayed behind. Franky was working on the ship and I was frantically trying to wake you up. And when Robin screamed....” Chopper was crying then, wiping at his eyes as best he could,”I went to go see what happened and he was there. Grinning at me with Robin lying limp at his feet. I thought he _killed_ her. But she had the same illness as you.”

“Illness?” Luffy frowned, releasing the thigh bone in his hand and watching it clatter against the tabletop.

“Bastard said it was an illness. He smiled at me and told me that if I was a real doctor, I’d figure it out. Cure you both.” Chopper glared into the table then, shifting away from Luffy,”When Franky came up, demanding where he took Sanji, all he said was ‘Onward to the tower, where treasure is sold’.”

“What the _fuck_ does that even mean?” Usopp asked aggressively, sneering into his mug,”We found Sanji in a warehouse! Not a tower.” Nami rolled her eyes at his outburst.

“When we came back, you were gone.” Zoro stated, setting the room back into another uncomfortable silence.

“Is Robin okay?” Luffy asked suddenly, staring back at Chopper who was nodding slowly,”Yes, but she’s still weak. She hasn’t woken up yet.”

Luffy then glanced up at his cook again, confused by his unusual behavior,”Sanji, are you okay?” Sanji faced him with his visible eye, his cigarette burned to a butt in his mouth and, without looking, put it out in the ashtray beside him on the counter. He appeared to be fine. There were no visible injuries aside from the dark bags under his eyes. Sanji took out his box of death sticks, placed another between his lips and began flicking the lighter clutched tightly in his right hand. After twenty clicks, flames licked against his fingertips allowing him to finally let out a large puff of nicotine,”I’m fine Luffy. Bastard didn’t _touch_ me.”

“Oh.” Luffy nodded, unsure what to really say as Sanji turned his back to him and aggressively cut into more raw meat.

“So..” Nami spoke softly, staring at Luffy with dry eyes and a brow perched,”Where have you been?”

“And who’s that woman you were lying on?”

Nami shot Zoro an incredulous look,“What do you _mean_ ‘lying on’?”

“What else could that mean, Nami? That’s how I found him!”

“What were you doing lying on a woman, Luffy?”

_Woman? What were they-_

Luffy slammed his hands onto the table and cried out in shock,”Holy fuck I forgot about the witch!”

“Witch? What witch?”

Luffy looked to Zoro’s surprised face expectantly,”Where is she?”

“Luffy,” He stated calmly, “ _Who_ is she?”

“I just said she’s a witch!”

“That doesn’t clarify shit!”

“Witch’s don’t exist.” Luffy turned to Usopp who seemed to be having an aneurysm,”And _besides_ , aren’t they supposed to be green?” He then turned to Chopper, who was just as shocked,”Wait, _is_ she green? I didn’t get a good lo-”

There was a strong kick to his head that sent Usopp’s face smack into the table. Luffy blinked as Sanji placed another full plate of meat in front of him,”She’s not green, dumbass.”

“Yeah, she’s pink!” Luffy grinned, chewing on a few more pieces of meat,”And she healed me too! She’s a real witch!”

This had everyone’s attention.

“Wait, for real?”

“That would explain your fast recovery…..”

“How did she heal you?!”

“Do you think she could heal Robin-chan?”

“Luffy,” Luffy turned towards Zoro who didn’t seem pleased at all to learn that his new friend was a witch,” _Who is she?_ ”

What was Zoro going on about? What do you mean, _who?_ She’s a witch and she healed him and she’s- _Huh._ Luffy took another slow study of the galley and frowned, “Where is she again?”

“She’s with Robin in the girl’s cabin.”

“Chopper!”

“What?! He’s asked two times now!”

Luffy looked to Chopper curiously,”Why is she there?”

“Because you took up space in the infirmary, bastard. There’s only one bed.”

Right, _that made sense._ Luffy swallowed the last of his meat and stood up. He turned on his heel and noticed the galley door closed in front of him. _Wow, Franky worked fast._ He opened it slowly and blinked rapidly at the sunlight that feathered over his skin.

“Luffy? Where are you going?”

“Oi!”

He stepped outside and placed his hand along Sunny’s railing, letting out a deep sigh. So much has happened since he woke up. Or has it? Considering everything he _can_ remember, which is never much of anything, it all seems so simple. His nakama are okay for the most part and witches exist! They are also not green. Or, are they? It was dark in that strange room. Perhaps she was lying to him. Do witches lie? Seems rude of them. After all, being green is fucking awesome. _And those scars are pretty fucking cool-_

“Is that Luffy?” Luffy immediately searched for the sound of Robin’s familiar voice and found himself staring at her pale form leaning against the opposite balcony with one foot stretched towards the first steps descending down towards the deck. She had her right hand lifted slightly from the railing, her eyes peering at Luffy in surprise. 

Then he noticed her: Dressed in a faded green t-shirt and grey shorts. She was a few steps down, holding out her arm towards Robin while the other clutched the banister. Her skin was covered in bandages which caught his breath. He didn’t remember her needing all of those before. Just what happened while he was passed out? As Robin continued to stare at him with a warm smile, she suddenly took notice and turned. Her eyes settled on him immediately and grew. There was something caught in his throat, the desire to call out her name pooling at the tip of his tongue. When her lips quirked up into that familiar infectious smile, he felt his grin spreading wider.

  
“ _Hey, Luffy_.”


	4. Chapter 3

When it came to being poisoned, Robin figured it would at some point end in fatality. Of course, she was no doctor on the matter: Despite her early morning discussions with Chopper during the trips to winter islands. The two casually sipping cocoa on the lawn chairs, cuddled together as the snowflakes softened into a dew against the grass was one of her more favorable moments with the young physician. Aside from the lengthy reminders of her clothing choices for the season as well as the severity of experiencing certain strains of influenza, it gave her another insight on the many dangers she now faces as a pirate. Poison, although not as occasionally faced by the Strawhats, always lurked in the back of her mind. After all, it’s a perfected venom. One that can easily eradicate a single race. She’s seen the bodies that fell to such a fate. Many clustered together in mass graves. It’s definitely one of the more refined methods of killing. Perhaps the cleanest. All it takes is one single prick of the finger, touch of the skin, taste on your tongue and down you go: Decaying slowly and painfully until your blood stops flowing.

It isn’t until Luffy drops that she realizes that poison is the complete opposite. 

“LUFFY!”

The wave peered closer, hauntingly curling over them as the Sunny rolled against it, tipping towards a swirling abyss. The ocean was cold and unforgiving. Robin had forgotten what it felt like to be swallowed. Consumed in the fear that her lungs would never taste the fresh crisp air of those winter mornings. When she woke to shouting, feeling a wave of nausea and dizziness course through her, a sense of relief washed over her. Breathing slowly, Robin recognized the hard feeling of wet sand beneath her aching head and lifted herself into a sitting position. There was a small touch brushed against her arm followed by a sobering look from their navigator. She looked like a wreck, hair tangled and matted with sand. Eyes red from salt water and perhaps tears.

“He’s  _ gone _ .” 

Robin inhaled sharply and doubled over to her left, spitting up sea water and bile from trembling lips. Nami’s hand rubbed soothing circles along her back, murmuring something she couldn’t quite hear. As Robin managed to hold the rest of her insides together, she wiped her wet lips with the back of her hand and felt her heart tear at the sight in front of her. The Thousand Sunny was lying on its side, cracked and damaged just about everywhere. In front of her was Franky’s form. She could only make out his back, but noticed the way his fingers trembled at his sides. 

“But  _ Zoro _ -!” Usopp’s panicked voice drew her attention to the right, watching as the sharpshooter waved his arms frantically in the air. Despite his attempts, it appeared the swordsman trekked further down the beach. His form faded into the fog that licked the sand around them. 

“Where is Zoro going, Usopp?” Chopper’s trembling voice drew her attention to his perched form. He was hovered over Luffy’s limp body, hooves running along his vital areas frantically as he glanced occasionally at the sharpshooter’s concern.

Usopp let out a shaky sigh, arms falling limply at his sides as his knees hit the sand and his face fell into his hands,”F-fuck if I know, Chopper.” His back trembled, soft sobs echoing across the sand.

“Robin?!” Her eyes darted back to their doctor, who seemed relieved despite the tears rolling down his cheeks,”Are you alright? How are you feeling?”

“Is he dead?” The words felt like ash in her mouth but she had to know. Chopper glanced down at their captain’s body and wiped at his dripping nose with the back of his arm,”He’s u-um breathing. It’s shallow though and he won’t respond to anything. His heart rate is increasing by the hour and I need my tools-”

“I’ll go fish those out for you, Chopper.” Usopp stood abruptly, wiping at his own tears and stalking towards their damaged ship. Chopper’s head shot up, twisting as he watched Usopp fade into the fog with Zoro.

“What…” The words nearly died on her tongue. For a moment, Robin focused on her breathing. Trying to calm her racing heart. With it settling down, her eyes drifted to Nami who had been crying softly,”Nami..” Nami’s eyes focused on Robin, her hand halting the soothing ministrations,”Where’s Sanji?”

_ Please don’- _

“He’s  _ gone,  _ Robin.”

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She never did feel right with death. Even the mere thought of it took pieces of her soul. Robin couldn’t really recall how many pieces were left; but, she could feel them slipping between her finger tips.

A glass appeared beside her on the table. The momentum of the placement had the liquid sloshing lazily in the cylinder. A matching one was found in Nami’s hand as she took the spot at the table next to her, a soft smile grazing her lips: One that didn’t quite reach her eyes,”Chopper says taking small sips may help with the nausea.”

Of course, how could she forget? Robin grasped the glass in her right hand and drank languidly. It was refreshing despite the aftertaste of her vomit. She offered a forced smile of her own to the younger girl, noticing the way her shoulders shook under the candle light.

“It’s strange, y’know?” Her words were soft in the quiet room, the smell of smoke reminding Robin of heart eyes and silly gestures,”One minute Luffy’s an idiot and the next he’s almost dead.” She met Robin’s eyes then, shaking her head as if she were denying some kind of sane reality,”Is this supposed to be it? The pirate life?”

“Is that what you want it to be?” 

Nami’s eyes grew at that, lips pursing together in quiet thought as she set her glass down gently. For a while, only the soft echo of Franky’s machinery haunted the galley. The memory of their ship turned over caused Robin to take another short drink of the water. As she set hers down, Nami let out a soft sigh,”Sanji’s  _ gone.  _ Zoro hasn't come back yet. Usopp is recovering tools and supplies from the sea. Franky’s fixing our ship and Chopper is saving our dumbass Captain’s life.” She whimpered softly, shakily catching herself as a few more tears traced her cheeks,”And here I am,  **again** . Waiting to make sure everyone is ok. Feeling absolutely  _ useless. _ ”

_ Huh,  _ Robin clutched her glass of water with both hands, feeling her arms tremble,  _ So that’s what this is.  _

**_Please be okay._ **

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_ It’s quiet. _ Robin can’t help but wonder if this is what death will be like: Silence. Heartache. Nami and Usopp left to go find Zoro; so, she was all alone with the smell of nicotine and brush of fog against her trembling arms. No matter how hard she grasped them, they still shook and exposed her fear to the world. 

“ _ My, my..” _

She scrambled to her feet, the broken lawn chair tipping to the side as he came closer. Green eyes traced her skin as a small wicked smile grazed his lips,”Why are you  _ here _ ?!” She crossed her arms, stance still shaky as he stopped a few feet in front of her.

“Because I’m…what was the word?” He tipped his head to the side,” _ Interesting _ .”

Robin swallowed, feeling the dizziness she suffered before coming back to her in waves,”What happened to him?”

“Oh? Which one?” Robin glared at his giggling form, watching him readjust the loose tie around his neck. The gap around his neck was larger now, appearing more like rope than fabric,”There are many ‘hims’ in your life. Best to be specific, **Nico Robin.** ”

“So you know my name then.”

“Of course I  _ know _ you, Robin.” He stepped closer, his eyes sparkling even in the fading darkness of the fog. She didn’t realize he was too close until there was a chilling touch wrapped around her wrists, his face leaning into her own,”And I’m sure one day you’ll  _ know  _ me.”

Her index finger stung as a sudden heavy pressure settled against her shoulders. She could hardly feel her chest, the gasps of breath that she desired so desperately feeling numb against her lips. As the green eyes faded into a terrifying black, Robin could only wonder as to what he meant.

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_ She forgot what song the birds were singing. The lyrics were poetic, she knew, but the hum they chirped was enough to wake her from a deep slumber. Even with her eyes closed, she pictured the wind that kissed her legs and painted her cheeks. It was gentle, carrying a cool chill that eased her lips into a smile. It traced color into her skin, feathering over each of the branches from the tree that housed her with promises of spring. Her desire was clear then, body ready to embrace the warmth of the sun's golden light. It was calling out to her, whispering a life unlike any she knew. So she opened her eyes, lashes feathering against her damp cheeks as the lie vanished within rain. She felt her grip loosen against the damp branch beneath her frame, weight shifting left suddenly as something cracked around her. She cried out in horror as she fell towards a dark field consumed in flames. Her eyes wide as she met his gaze. _

Robin rose with a start, body arching forward as her hands curled into the sheets of her bed. She took in ragged breaths, pulse burning at the back of her throat as her wide eyes bore into the flower imprinted sheets. What had she just witnessed? Was she dead?  _ No,  _ Robin took deep breaths as she placed her shaking hands against her chest. She could feel her hammering heart.  _ I’m alive.  _ God only knew if everyone else was.

For a moment, Robin stayed like this: Curled into herself with her hands pressed into her chest. At some point, the desire to become smaller than she already was had passed, allowing her the confidence to raise her head. When she met blue eyes and wild pink curls, Robin immediately felt all of her confidence drain. She gasped, throwing her body back until it was uncomfortably pressed into the small headboard. 

Bandaged hands rose before her in surrender, supporting a concerned look in the intruder’s eyes. She appeared to be just as afraid as Robin was, her shoulders shaking slightly. Sucking down the gnawing feeling in her chest, Robin managed to soften her features and force a kind smile,”Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

The young woman seemed confused by that statement and opened her mouth slowly as if to respond. Instead, she turned slightly to the left, her weight against Robin’s sheets dragging the thin fabric with her. She slouched over a bit, her eyes focused intently on her hands with a mixture of surprise and disgust. The room settled into silence then: Robin watching the strange girl as she continued to examine her appendages. 

When the irritating awkward pain in her lower back became too much, Robin decided to lean forward slightly away from the headboard and reach out her hand to lay gently onto the stranger’s shoulder. Immediately, she jerked up, head whipping around to meet Robin’s observing face with fearful eyes,”I’m sorry!”

Robin drew her brows together in confusion,”For what?”

Again, the woman opened her mouth and couldn’t find the words to respond. Robin decided to study the woman’s quarters then, tracing over the dresser, door and sitting area. When she noticed the state of Nami’s bed a sudden realization hit her then. She placed her full attention back onto the young woman and offered a warmer smile,”You don’t know, do you?”

When her eyes grew, Robin gently squeezed her shoulder,”That’s alright. I understand.”

“Then why…” Her words were soft, gaze drawing down to her arms which she held out towards Robin like an offering,”Can you tell me why I’m like this?”

Robin noticed the detail in the wrapping and suspected Chopper’s work. The fabric was dry and smooth. It was probably fresh. Robin retracted her hand from the young woman’s shoulder and picked up one of her injured hands. Running soft circles over her bones, she felt her skin for stitches or cuts. Robin pursed her lips as she watched her fingers brush over smooth skin.  _ Not one stitch or cut.  _

“Does it hurt when I press here?” She pressed her thumb gently atop the inside of her left wrist and hummed when she was answered with a shake of the head. She continued her search with the right arm and found herself perplexed. 

Robin decided to follow the bandages, finding them wrapped along her collar, stomach, legs and neck. She came to the conclusion that whatever Chopper saw on the girl, it wasn’t pretty. He probably didn’t take any chances either.  _ Especially if… _

“Do you feel any pain at all?”

She shook her head, drawing her arms into her chest,”None whatsoever. I thought for sure that I would when I woke up like this but…” She met Robin’s eyes and gave a sad smile,”For awhile I assumed I was dead.” Robin’s breath hitched in her throat, remembering the fearful dream she had risen from moments before. She swallowed hard, unsure what to say. The young woman began picking at the wrapping around her left index finger and let out a shaky laugh,”It’s crazy, I know. But I was so sure. Which is why I woke you up..” 

Robin hummed and let out a soft sigh,”Well, are you?”

She gave her a perplexed look,”Am I what?”

“Dead?”

The girl blinked before a smile spread wide against her lips,”Oh, I'll never be sure of that.”

_ Huh,  _ “Why is that?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions I can’t answer.” She seemed more relaxed then, shifting herself further at the edge of Robin’s bed with her hands tucked into her lap. She beamed,”But you knew that.”

Robin grinned,”I had my suspicions.” She cocked a brow playfully,”For all I know, I could be dead as well.”

Robin wasn’t sure how this young girl’s smile could grow anymore than it already had,”Very true.” They giggled softly together, the fear Robin woke with completely vanished. A weird familiar warmth filled her empty chest. It was comforting compared to what she had felt the past few days. Robin’s smile fell slightly,  _ How long have I been asleep? _

“Are you okay?” Robin focused on the stranger ahead who was now tipping her head to the side and smiling like they were old friends. Well, she wasn’t sure if she was. Yes, her heart was beating but her mind was occupied solely on this random girl instead of assessing her condition. She could move her fingers just fine. Her arms weren’t bleeding or damaged. Her limbs felt weightless against the mattress.  _ Can I even stand?  _ Robin decided to answer that question. Moving her legs over the side of her bed, Robin placed her palms against the cushion and pushed herself forward. For a moment, she really thought she did it. Her frame was straight, head held high and energy was returning to her body. It took a moment to realize that this was only accomplished with her right arm draped over the smaller girl’s shoulders. 

“Thank you.”

She grinned at her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her right hand gently secured hers to the bandaged shoulder,”I can help you outside if you like.”

Robin smirked,”Outside does sound inviting.” They slowly made their way to the door, Robin focusing intently on the way her feet slowly dragged against the carpet. By the time sunshine had fallen against her shoulders, Robin immediately felt the feeling return to her legs. She slowly removed her arm from around the young woman and stepped forward until her hands fastened securely along the railing. The young girl followed behind, gasping in awe at the beautiful sight of the sunlight sparkling over the waves. Robin found herself grinning, “Sure enough, it always is.”

“Would you like any help?” Robin turned, noticing the outstretched hand offering assistance down the stairs. Robin went to grasp it when a sudden voice took her by surprise. She searched across the decks of the Sunny and found her very much awake captain smiling down at the sea.

“Is that Luffy?” The look of surprise and pure happiness from Luffy nearly overwhelmed Robin. Her own excitement was budding throughout her body.  _ He was okay!  _ He was awake and beaming. He was also looking beside her with an expression she hasn’t seen on him just yet. Before she could ask what was dying on her tongue, the young woman spoke with a certain tenderness she had yet to witness.

_ “Hey, Luffy.” _

“Robin!” Robin’s head shot up, watching as her nakama shuffled out of the galley one by one. Nami, Usopp and Chopper took a running start down the stairs, heels digging into the lawn below as they climbed past the young woman on the stairs and jumped into her awaiting arms. Several she had to make just to keep her body steady as the three cried against her shoulders.

“You’re awake!”

“I was so worried about you!”

“You can’t leave me with these  _ idiots,  _ Robin!”

Robin chuckled, feeling herself tear up a bit as she held them close,”I’ll try not to.”

There was a sudden loud  _ thump  _ below her and a shocked cry,”ROBIN!” Heavy footsteps approached and before she knew it, the four were crushed into the giant arms of a sobbing cyborg,”ROBIN-SIS! You’re awake! SUPER!”

“How are you feeling, Robin?” Robin gazed down at the crying reindeer in her arms and offered a reassuring smile,”I’m feeling just fine, Chopper. Thank you for saving me.” The young physician sniffed in her arms, his face burying into her light t-shirt with the muffled words ‘Don’t thank me, bastard’ whimpered against her stomach.

“Robin!” 

Robin gazed down towards the lawn deck, catching the matching grins on Zoro’s and Sanji’s face. Robin’s eyes grew, “Cook-san! You’re back!” 

Sanji smirked, crossing his arms over his chest with his head held high,”Nothing could keep me away from an exquisite beauty such as yourself, Robin-chan!” Zoro rolled his eyes, murmuring something she couldn’t quite hear. But from Sanji’s usual reaction, which was a violent kick meeting a blocked sword, it was most like derogatory. As if reading the curiosity in her eyes, Nami gave her a small smile,”We  _ found _ him, Robin.” She knew they would. They always did manage to find each other. 

When the commotion died and the arms around her unraveled, the next unanswered question was addressed by a smiling Luffy meeting the young woman at the end of the staircase. 

What threw everyone off was how, as the soles of her feet met the grass, the young woman threw herself at Luffy who, in turn, welcomed her into a tight embrace. He was still smiling wide, looking right at Robin,”Robin you woke up just as I did! I’m so happy!”

“Uh, Luffy?” Sanji had lowered his leg some moment ago, his cigarette dangling loosely between his lips as he stared at their captain in irritation,”Stop shouting in that lovely angel’s ear before I kick you off this ship.” Luffy laughed loudly, ignoring the glaring cook who raised his leg threateningly. 

“You seriously gonna kick that woman in the ocean too?” Zoro questioned beside him, smirking,”Sure you’re the real cook?” Steel blades licked the soles of expensive boots once again. Sanji met his smirk with a harsh glare,”Why don’t you find out,  _ shitty _ Marimo.”

“You guys can’t fight!” The two glanced up towards the small doctor who had his arms stretched through the legs of the railing in protest,”I still have to check everyone again. Especially _ you _ , Sanji.” The cook in question let out an annoyed  _ tch.  _ Together, the irritated men drew back: Sanji lowered his leg once again while Zoro sheathed Wado. Chopper then walked towards the top of the staircase and pointed at Luffy,”And you need to let go of her, Luffy! She’s still injured.”

Luffy reluctantly let go, his eyes darting to her hidden face as she whispered something only he could hear. After a moment, she released him and turned to face the entire crew with a small smile,”I’m actually okay.”

Chopper descended the steps and went up to her as his hoof curled around her arm,”Are you sure? You’re not feeling any pain from the cuts?” She shook her head. He seemed confused and pressed on,”What about your legs? They were bruised pretty badly.”

“Oh, well…” She glanced down at her legs and tipped her head to the side,”I just got used to that, I guess.”

“ **_What?!_ ** ” 

She jumped, blinking rapidly at the furious reindeer,”Why are you on your feet?! You should still be in bed!”

She opened her mouth and shut it. Her gaze darted to Luffy who was still smiling next to her. He met her concerned eyes with a knowing grin and nodded. She seemed even more confused and shook her head before turning back towards the patient doctor,”I’m fine.  _ Really _ .” She held her free hand up and pointed towards Robin,”I even helped your friend outside.”

Chopper was not pleased,”Neither of you should be up at all.”

“But then how would we know they’re up, Chopper?”

“It’s called checking up on them, bastard!”

“But they came outside, so it’s okay!”

“Luffy…”

“Speaking of..” The woman turned to Luffy with an inquisitive stare,”Are  _ you _ okay?”

Luffy grinned,”Of course I am! You healed me!”

She frowned immediately,”Luffy, I told you I didn’t-”

“Then how do you explain how I’m awake-”

“Because you  _ obviously  _ had an actual doctor to take care of you-”

“After you used your magic-”

“But I didn’t!” She huffed, snatching her arm out of Chopper’s grasp and pointing a bandaged finger into Luffy’s chest,”I told you that  _ maybe  _ I was a witch to cheer you up considering you were  _ dying! _ ”

“Wait, so you’re not a witch?” Everyone’s attention fell onto Usopp who was leaning beside Robin against the railing casually. His face scrunched together in disappointment,”Is it because you’re not green?”

The stranger looked  _ livid.  _ Luffy was laughing loudly again. Well, he  _ had _ been until Sanji’s foot sent him flying into the ocean below. Zoro heaved out an annoyed sigh and began to remove the swords from his waist. As he dove in after their captain, Sanji took the young girl’s hand into his own and charmingly spoke,”I’m so sorry for our Captain’s rude behavior, mademoiselle. Is there anything I can do to bring back your gorgeous smile?”

She seemed just as confused as she was before, with her eyes darting between Sanji’s beaming smile and the large splash Zoro just made,”Is...is he going to be ok?”

“Don’t worry about that idiot.” Nami descended the staircase and smiled warmly towards the strange girl. She paused just a few steps away from her and jutted out her hip, left hand resting against it,”He usually drowns three times a day. Sometimes five on those days when he’s even more of a moron than usual.”

“He can’t swim?”

“Nope.”

The woman opened her mouth just as Luffy’s body was chucked over the side of the ship. His shoulder hit the deck first, body rolling in the motion until his face met the opposite side of the ship’s railing. Moments later, Zoro managed to pull himself up with the line Franky had cast out to him. Luffy rolled onto his back, coughing up sea water until he was giggling again. 

“Wait,” The stranger said suddenly, focusing intently on Luffy as he rocked forward and sat up, legs crossing over one another with his hands resting on his knees,”If you can’t swim, how did you plan on escaping from the ship?”

“He didn’t.” Zoro murmured beside her, making her shoulders jump slightly. 

She frowned,”What do you mean?” 

Zoro glanced at her and ran his right hand through his hair, shaking droplets out of the damp strands,”He was passed out on top of you with, like, a whole group of pirates dead around him.”

Her eyes grew in horror,”They were...dead?”

Zoro stared at her and nodded,”All of their necks were broken.”

“Oh, they’re dead?” Luffy questioned, leaning forward against his knees.

“Didn’t you kill them?” Usopp questioned, his body seeming a bit stiffer than before. 

Luffy shook his head,”Nope.”

Usopp stood up straighter, his hands gripping the railing tightly as he questioned,”So  _ who  _ did?”

“Someone, probably.”

“No shit, Luffy.”

“Can you not take anything seriously?”

“Hey, we’re alive, right?” Robin smirked, watching as her captain stood up and placed his hands on both hips in a proud stance,”Besides, our new crew member is a  _ witch! _ ”

“Our  _ what _ ?!”

“Luffy, you can’t be serious.”

“She just said she wasn’t a witch though.”

“Actually she said  _ maybe _ .”

“She’s not even green, Chopper!”

“What does the color of her skin have to do with this?!”

“Yeah! And  _ besides  _ she’s pink!”

“That’s her  _ hair,  _ Luffy.”

“Huh,” The maybe-witch caught the crew’s attention as she stared at Luffy for a moment, eyes searching his until they rose upward towards his damp curls,”Where’s your hat?”

Luffy frowned, confused. He lifted his arm to rest on what would have been a straw hat. Instead, his palm slapped against wet hair and his eyes went wide.

“ _ WHERE THE FUCK IS MY HAT?! _ ”

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So her name was  _ Lily.  _ Which wasn’t really a ‘witch’ name. Not that Usopp knew any witch names. Or any witches for that matter. That didn’t stop him from scrunching his face in disappointment and frowning against the warm mug pressed to his lips. After Luffy’s screaming panic over his misplaced hat, which just so happened to be on the desk in the infirmary and not in the dangerous seaking infested sea, the group shifted into the galley for warm mugs of tea and snacks. Despite the irritating damp clothes clinging to his skin, Usopp took one large sip of the brown steaming liquid and let out a pleased sigh. He could have fared worse than searching blindly within the terrifying ocean for absolutely  _ nothing.  _ His eyes fell onto Luffy who was now smiling wide under that hat of his, skin swelling from a few punches Nami gave him for being an ‘idiot’. At this point Usopp believes she’s just punching him for everything. He could have swore she sent him flying because it rained while she was wearing one of her expensive gowns.  _ Isn’t she the one with the Clima-Tact? _

Luffy didn’t seem to mind, playing off her abuse like it was all some inside joke the rest of the crew didn’t know about. Usopp rolled his eyes at that thought, knowing full well that Luffy was just as terrified of Nami as was all of, well….humanity? As a whole? Zoro definitely knew what he was talking about when he called her a witch. Even though her skin isn’t green _.  _ That was such a weird rule to witches. Being green sounds like you're sick just about all the time. Maybe that’s why witches were so mean. They just weren’t feeling good. Can’t say that excuses them for turning men into toads. _ Fuck that shit. _

He watched Nami take a sip of her coffee, noticing the way her eyes never left Lily as she blew against the steam that licked her cheeks. She was sitting right across from Usopp with a blanket wrapped tightly around her wet shoulders. Nami didn’t appear to be as mad at Luffy as he was: Her previous aggression was somewhat satisfied with his bruised face. But there was this weariness in her eyes as she watched Lily. It had been there when Lily interacted with Chopper as well. She seemed to be just as cautious as Usopp had been when Zoro mentioned the dead pirates. Even taking the muscle head aside briefly to ask what he meant despite the man’s incapability of providing details.  _ He probably didn’t care.  _ Maybe it didn’t faze Zoro to see the dead anymore. It wasn’t as if Usopp was around the swordsman long enough to encounter death often; but, when one just so happened to occur, he always kept silent. He wasn’t a crier like Usopp and often just stared at the decaying life like it was a rolling wave sloshing against sand. As if none of it ever mattered. Supposedly, that makes sense for a life like his. Being the Greatest Swordsman entailed death daily as did being the first mate for the future Pirate King. 

Speaking of Luffy, he was currently watching Lily’s every move like she was some sight for sore eyes and not a bandaged mess. That wasn’t to say she was ugly; in fact, Usopp could see the natural beauty of her angular face and piercing blue eyes. She just wasn’t dripping with heavenly looks. Well, _at least not angelic_ -Usopp grumbled as Lily smiled, immediately retracting his earlier thoughts. Ok, that was probably the cutest smile he’s ever seen. Usopp huffed and took another sip, glaring at his stupid captain. Ok, so she was fucking _gorgeous._ He _still_ didn’t believe Luffy should be so wrapped up in her presence. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her since she made her appearance with Robin out of the girl’s cabin. That hug was _especially_ out of character as well. Just what the fuck happened between those two? Luffy couldn’t like her right? Like ‘ _like’_ her, like her. Right? 

Usopp’s eyes grew wide at that thought,  _ Don’t tell me he… _

His gaze flicked to the right and assessed Robin’s curled lips. She was leaning against the table with her elbow propped up and perched beneath her chin. Her cup sat still, the handle being traced slowly by the tips of her fingers as she watched Lily brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She was observing in that subtle way of hers, the spark in her eyes adjusting to every detail of Lily’s face. It was scary to see her this way. Not because she was watching Lily like a starved wolf. It was the almost unnoticed tremor she carries in her lips when there was something off about a situation.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Poor, sweet,  _ naive _ Chopper was sitting right next to Lily, his eyes still focusing on her injuries as he drank away at the sweet hot cocoa Sanji made just for him. Lily had turned to him again with that weird confused face and nodded slowly as if she was unsure of the question. Chopper didn’t seem convinced by the display but chose to continue sipping his drink, frowning slightly,”Okay, but I still wanna take another look at your wounds. Just to be sure.”

Lily sighed at that and ran a hand through her tangled hair,”I guess that’s fine. But you really shouldn’t worry about me, doctor.”

“Call me Chopper.” 

Lily smiled at him then,”So it’s Dr. Chopper then?”

Chopper blushed at the formal address and shook his head,”No, just Chopper is fine! It’s not like I want to be addressed like that, bastard.” Lily laughed at that, smiling warmly down at the young physician as he hummed into his mug.

“So you really don’t remember who you are?” Nami questioned, head tipped slightly as she arched a curious brow.

Lily met her stare and shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable to have someone talk to her again,”Not really. Or at all, actually. Everything’s pretty much new for me.”

Zoro frowned at that,”So how would you know you’re a witch?”

Lily glanced at him and forced a smile,”I very well could be one. After all, how would I know otherwise?”

_ Well she’s not wrong. _

“But why a witch?”

“Why three swords?”

Usopp choked on his tea, pounding on his chest lightly as Zoro grumbled next to him,”You definitely don’t look like a witch. Usopp says they’re supposed to be green.” Usopp sent him a glare, silently cursing at the swordsman for bringing him into this. 

Lily’s features smoothed into a look of indifference as she leaned forward,”Well  _ you’re _ green. Does that mean you’re a witch?”

_ Okay, this was getting real- _

Luffy laughed his ass off which was really not what the situation needed. Zoro opened his mouth with no doubt a few colorful words on his tongue when his face smacked into the wooden table, the imprint of Sanji’s heel leaving a knot on the back of his head. Said chef waltzed over to Lily with a tray and placed a colorful drink in front of her,”Excuse his arrogance, Lily-chan. He’s never known how to properly trust a lady’s word.”

“You’re one to talk, ero-cook.” Zoro sneered, rubbing the sore spot on his head and glaring flatly at Sanji. 

The blond rolled his eyes and headed back towards the sink,”Don’t get all pissy at our beautiful guest just because you're defensive of that pathetic lawn you call hair, Moss Head.” Zoro pointed a rather deadly glare at the back of Sanji’s head, his right hand curling around the hot mug that  _ mysteriously  _ refilled itself beside him and downed all of it in one flick of the wrist. He was an idiot, Usopp declared some time ago. Greatest Swordsman or not, Zoro will always pout at Sanji like a five year old who lost a game of tag. What was  _ weird  _ about it all had been how Zoro continued to stare at Sanji as if there was nothing else to look at. There was still that look of annoyance as he watched the cook. That never seemed to go away. But there was also the way he would watch him, cheek resting against the palm of his hand, head tipped like he was beyond content with sitting there for hours. It reminded Usopp of the times he would relax on that long branch from the tree beside Kaya’s window and smile as she told him how her day had gone. He’d be there for  _ hours,  _ telling her lies and loving the way she smiled. Usopp found himself shaking his head, already feeling a lingering ache in his chest at the mere thought of Kaya. 

He watched as Lily eyed the pinkish drink curiously and frowned slightly. Robin noticed this change in her demeanor and asked,”Everything ok, Lily?” Lily glanced at her and nodded slowly. 

“Are you not thirsty or something?” Luffy asked, causing Lily to shift slightly in her chair and stare at him with a lost expression.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, because you haven’t touched your drink.”

“Sanji just set it down, Luffy. Not everyone immediately goes into a frenzy over food like you.” Nami huffed.

Lily’s eyes went wide,”Wait, this is for me?” She gestured at the tall glass. Sanji turned his head to give her a concerned look, a lingering disappointment evident in his eye,”Yes, it is. Is there something else you would like instead?”

“Oh no!” Lily shook her head, holding her hands up defensively and let out an awkward giggle,”I honestly thought you just set it there randomly.”

“Huh?”

“That’s dumb.” 

Nami whacked Luffy’s head again and turned to Lily with a smile,”What Luffy  _ means  _ is that Sanji always makes sure us girls are taken care of.”  _ God, Nami please rephrase that- _

“Oh, um sorry.” Usopp couldn’t handle how awkward this girl was. It was making him feel uncomfortable just watching her interact. 

“No need to apologize, my dear.” Sanji reassured her with a smile, his hands drying off another tall glass he just washed,”Let me know what you think.”

Lily nodded and gently picked up the glass. As she tasted the oddly colored drink, her eyes brightened almost immediately. Which was no surprise when it came to Sanji’s culinary art,”Wow.” She whipped her head around and met Sanji’s awaiting grin with an awestruck expression,”You made this?” Sanji nodded, pleased with her reaction and placed the dry glass against the counter top. He moved to pour another glass of some sort of juice and slid it over to Franky who had been causally leaning against the bar.

“Of course he did,” Luffy assured, rubbing his sore neck and smiling,”He’s my cook after all.”

“ _ Your  _ cook?” Lily asked incredulously, placing the glass back onto the table.

“Yeah, did you not know?”

“Luffy-Bro, does she look like she knows?”

“What do you mean? She looks fine.”

“That’s not what-”

“Luffy, she has amnesia!”

“Okay?”

“Meaning she didn’t know!”

Luffy frowned at Chopper momentarily, his eyes growing suddenly as he turned back to Lily who seemed unsure where the conversation was going,”Wait, did I tell you I was going to become The Pirate King?”

Lily’s eyes grew,”Uh, no. Were you supposed to?”

“He tells everyone.” Nami remarked, rolling her eyes,”So,  _ yes. _ ”

“Oh, well that’s cool.” 

”So you’re ok with us being pirates?” Zoro asked coolly.

”Well, I didn’t realize you were pirates.”

“Luffy literally just said he wanted to be the KING of  _ pirates! _ ”

Lily gave each of them a funny look before taking another sip,”Yeah, but that doesn’t me the rest of you are. In fact, that’s simply an aspiration. I was not given any clarification that he was currently practicing this.”

_ What the fuck- _

“Oh, well, I’m a captain too.”

“Neat.”

Zoro slammed his face into the table and groaned. At that point, Usopp figured he was losing his mind. His cup was empty now and he couldn’t remember how to approach Sanji for a refill without being kicked through the galley walls and plunging right back into the sea. Which,  _ yes,  _ he was still salty about. So he set the mug down and crossed his arms over his chest, side eyeing Lily slowly sipping her fruity drink,”You didn’t really answer that question, y’know.” 

She glanced at him and let out a sigh,”I don’t know what answer you want, okay?” She set the drink down and stood suddenly, hands flat against the table,”You’ve done nothing to me which I’m grateful for. Let’s just leave it there.” She dragged the tips of her fingers along the wood until her hands were back by her sides. For a moment, all anyone could do was watch as she grasped the empty glass and took it over to Sanji, who watched her with an indifferent expression. He had taken a seat beside Franky, fingers curled around his dying cigarette with a few small puffs forming above him. Something that always puzzled Usopp was how Sanji could be so relaxed around women. Usually the idiot was all swirly and had weird hearts in his eyes, spouting nonsense like that was going to get him laid. But times like now, with Lily approaching him and complimenting his cooking, he’s watching her with careful eyes. Just as everyone else did. Which wasn’t weird at all.

She offered the glass towards him, which he took immediately, and she smiled,”I  _ really  _ enjoyed it. Thank you.”

The fire died from the end of his cigarette, his exposed eye searching hers for a moment before he nodded,”You’re welcome.”

It was then that something switched inside of Usopp’s head, his eyes watching her departing form as she headed for the door with a rather grim look. There was a flash of movement and Lily stopped, head twisted back with her eyes lost in Luffy’s. The captain’s hand was curled around her right wrist, his arm stretching from the distance between them. The galley fell absolutely silent _.  _

“I didn’t know your arm could stretch.” Lily’s voice was soft, her face shadowing a similar look of indifference like the one she had given Zoro earlier. It made the entire experience seem unreal, almost like the moment everything went to hell days before. This time having Usopp feel far away from the two when in reality he was adjacent from both.

“You never said anything.” Luffy’s voice had that serious tone to it. One that was often used during stressful times. It made Usopp swallow thickly.

“About what?”

“Joining my crew.”

“Why would I do that?” Which was a solid  _ fucking  _ question! Why  _ would  _ this random girl, who maybe wasn’t a non-green witch, join a pirate crew? What possible  _ reason _ could Luffy have as to enlist every single weird person he meets into being on this ship?

“Because I want you too.”  _ Well no shit.  _ For a moment, Usopp found himself staring at Luffy’s face. It was still stupidly plain, with his eyes trapped in a staring contest; but, he remembers feeling those dark irises bare into his own. That moment on Merry felt like the entire world Luffy had promised was falling apart in Usopp’s hands. He couldn’t  _ save  _ a friend that carried them so far. Couldn’t pick up the death along the shattered boards and bring life into the heart of their crew. He had  **failed** and Luffy stared at him like he is now, making Usopp shutter slightly.

“But you don’t know me, Luffy.” That was also a  _ reasonable  _ con to this whole situation. The last person who appeared on this ship nearly killed Luffy and Robin. Even going as far as taking Sanji like some sort of damsel and leaving him tied to a chair unconscious. They couldn’t just trust  _ anyone _ anymore. 

“I don’t need to.”

Lily smiled then and curled her own hand over Luffy’s,”Goodbye, Luffy.” She lifted his fingers from around her wrist, smiled at everyone else in the room and left the galley. 

Immediately Luffy shot up to his feet, stalking forward to the door with a frown. Before he could reach the door, Zoro had blocked his path, placing his hand against Luffy’s chest and staring down at him with a stern glare,”Luffy, let her go.”

Luffy stared at Zoro for a moment before stating,”Move, Zoro.”

“She’s right, Luffy. You  _ don’t  _ know her! Besides, do you want what happened to the cook and Robin to happen again-?!”

“I said,” Luffy’s eyes darkened, his right hand curling around Zoro’s wrist and slowly applying pressure,” **_Move, Zoro._ ** ”

Zoro stared at Luffy for a moment and stepped passed their captain. They watched as he released Zoro’s arm from his tight grip and waltzed out of the galley with the door slamming shut. Collectively, they stood together and flocked out onto the upper deck, the afternoon sun’s glare blinding Usopp briefly. He blinked rapidly, turning his head with the others as he noticed Luffy descending the steps and following Lily as she walked over to the railing.

Lily placed her hands onto the wooden railing, eyes looking out across the sea with her lips pursed. Just as Luffy went to grab her wrist again, her frame whipped around and her eyes met Luffy’s with question,”So, dumb question. Where’s the island we were docked at?”

“We left that island the minute Zoro brought both of you back to the ship.” Nami had answered, catching everyone’s attention as she leaned against the banister and shrugged,”There was no need to stay there any longer.”

Lily frowned at that and glanced back at the sea. Something clicked in her head, Usopp watching curiously as she hoisted herself over and stood on top of the railing. Panicked, the crew joined Luffy atop the lawn deck as Zoro asked,”What are you doing?”

Lily glanced at them,”Isn’t it obvious?”

“No, not at all.”

“Please don’t fall in there, Lily-chan.”

“You should really get down.”

Lily seemed confused again and shook her head,”Well, I’m going to swim for it.”

“ **_WHAT?!_ ** ”

“Can you even swim?” Usopp asked.

Lily smirked then,”Not sure. Won’t it be fun to find out?”

No, it absolutely will not be fun to find out!  _ Lily, what the fuck- _

_  
_ “Go for it.” Usopp gaped at Robin, not really sure he’s all that surprised by the dark grin curling along her lips.

“Robin, what the fuck-?”

“Where do you even plan on swimming towards?” Nami asked incredulously, slowly moving towards the railing where Luffy was looking mostly confused but grinning like an idiot.

Lily shrugged,”Land, preferably.”

“You are an absolute idiot.”

“Oh my god,  _ please  _ get down Lily.” Chopper begged, trying to grasp at her ankles but failing due to his short stature,”You can’t be swimming. You’re  _ injured _ !”

“Again, I’m fine-”

“No, you’re not.”

Lily glanced at Zoro with a quirked brow,”Oh? Are you the doctor?”

Zoro frowned at Lily and crossed his arms over his chest,”Do a flip.”

_ Zoro, no- _

Sanji swung his leg and sent Zoro flying across the deck. He turned towards Lily and grasped her hand, looking into her eyes with a pleading sense of desperation,”Lily-chan, would you possibly be willing to stay with us long enough until we arrive at the next island?”

Lily tipped her head, uncertain,”I could just swim-”

“You can’t.”

“-and I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“I promise you,” Sanji assured, placing his right hand on top of his heart,”It will not be a problem with us to have you stay.”

“He’s right!” Luffy said, hands on his hips again with another goofy grin,”And maybe then you will reconsider joining my crew!”

Lily glanced at him and smirked,”I won’t.”

“You definitely will.”

“Wanna bet?”

  
“Lily will you  _ please  _ get down before Chopper goes into a panic attack!”


	5. Chapter 4

“So Lily,” Nami began, hands deep in the folds of her clothing as she searched haphazardly for something suitable for the witch. Her back was arched over slightly, knees bent as she began to toss and throw pieces of clothing aside with a growing irritation throbbing at her temple, ”What do you plan on doing?” 

“What do you mean?” 

What _did_ she mean? After all, having a possible witch on the ship was definitely uncharted territory. If anything, Nami should have encouraged the idiot to go for a dip like Zoro. One less problem to worry about, right? Nami found an old faded yellow sundress she barely recognized and took it out, angling it up slightly so she could examine the fit around the chest. _That’s right,_ She flicked her gaze to Lily who was sitting on her bed looking confused and a bit anxious. Her palms were flat against the mattress, legs swinging as best they could through the strewn clothing pooling around her. Nami examined her skin, as much as she could considering all of the coverings Chopper insisted she wore, and spared a quick glance to her chest. _She was smaller than me._

Nami took the sundress and stalked over to Lily, holding it against her frame, ”What I _mean_ is, what do you plan on doing without a single idea of who you are?”

Lily held her gaze and absentmindedly played with the hem of the dress, ”Well, I don’t know. I never really thought I’d be alive this long, to be honest.”

Nami frowned at that, ”Wait, what do you me-”

The door to the girl’s cabin opened suddenly, Robin’s tall form appearing within the frame. Nami managed to make out the small smile the older woman offered despite the sun’s afternoon glare obscuring her features in the shadows, ”The water is ready.”

Nami set the dress beside Lily on her bed and turned back to her dresser, ”Why don’t you two go ahead of me? I’m still deciding on outfits for this evening.” 

She could see Robin nodding from the corner of her eye and hummed to herself when the two shuffled out of the room. Nami paused her search, right hand clutching onto the wooden drawer as Lily’s words replayed within her mind. _This was weird._ The entire situation seemed so loosely fabricated that one pull could have the crew stranded once again. Perhaps, this time separated for good. Nami bit her lip and slammed the door shut, her left hand fisting in her bangs as she tried to push the past few days out of her mind. It’s not as if she knew for sure that Lily would end up hurting them like the last guy; but, she couldn’t look past how coincidental everything had been. Her arrival meant trouble. _So why does all of this feel so weird?_

“-ami! Oi, you alright?” A heavy weight fell onto her right shoulder, snapping the navigator from her accumulating thoughts and setting her sights on a rather perplexed cyborg. A cyborg who was in the girl’s room with what seemed to be boards and tools. Nami frowned, unsure how she could have missed the large guy’s arrival and asked, ”When did you get in here, Franky?”

Franky matched her frown, ”A few minutes ago. I came to make another bed for Lily-Sis.” 

_Wait, what?_ Nami’s brows drew together in confusion, ”Why are you doing that?”

Franky went to set the boards down and knelt beside the couch, right hand snapping open his tool case, ”Because it’s going to take an entire week for us to get to the next island.” He glanced back over at Nami and arched a brow, ”Remember?” 

_Right,_ She did remember telling all of them that. Nami nodded slowly and sighed, ”Yes, I remember now.”

“So, is there a reason why all of your clothes are on the floor?”

Nami glanced down at the mess she made and found herself at a loss for words. _Was there a floor there to begin with?_ Compared to Robin’s side of the room, Nami’s seemed to be on a different level. She glanced down and wasn’t at all surprised that she couldn’t find her feet. She glanced back at Franky who was side eyeing her warily, his hands continuing to take out materials and unfold blue prints. Nami frowned at them, not sure if Lily was going to get a bed or something stupid that looked like a bed, ”Well, Lily isn’t….” God, how was she going to put this? She glanced down at her chest and let out a sigh before meeting Franky’s curious gaze again, ”I’m trying to find her something to wear after our bath and-”

“Her boobs are smaller than yours, right?”

Nami narrowed her eyes,”...right.”

Franky smiled at that and turned to his blueprints, ”Well, no need to stress _too_ much over it. I’m sure she can fit into some of your old clothes.”

Nami’s frown fell, her face now indifferent to the cyborg, ”Oh, wow. That makes sense.”

Franky continued to grin like an idiot, leaving Nami to shake her head and hold back a long, exaggerated sigh. She didn’t _need_ anymore idiots. Seven was enough. Hell, _Luffy_ was more than enough. She twisted around, struggling against the waves of fabric and began sorting them into two different piles. As she picked up the pace, ignoring the loud machinery Franky began to use, she found a few outfits for herself and set them on top of the sundress. As the sea parted and the carpeted floor revealed itself, Nami decided to ignore the task altogether and join the girls in the warm tub. She threw the outfits over her left arm and walked around Franky, ignoring his obnoxious goodbye by slamming the door shut. 

She made a beeline for the bathhouse, passing Usopp and Luffy who were fishing competitively again. Zoro was absent from his usual napping spot against the ship’s railing which most likely meant he was training again. Nami couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the thought of that idiot lifting a dumbbell bigger than Sunny over his head. _Ridiculous._ But it was a better alternative compared to him fighting Sanji and destroying their ship. She didn’t have enough money to continue buying useless parts just for those two to just break again and again.

Nami let out a sigh as she ascended the steps, quickly turning the corner and passing a very worried Chopper muttering something under his breath as he entered the infirmary. Nami nearly stopped to ask what was wrong but continued forward, longing for the pleasure a hot bath provided. When she opened the door to the bathhouse, she didn’t expect to see Lily sitting atop the toilet with Robin somewhat struggling to remove her bandages.

Robin glanced at her and smiled warmly, ”What took you so long, navigator-san?”

Nami let out one last sigh as she placed the outfits beside Robin’s on the sink, ”I got caught up in a riveting conversation with Franky about Lily’s new bed.”

“New what?” Lily’s eyes grew wide as she watched Nami slowly strip off her shirt and toss it towards one of the far corners of the room. Nami glanced at her and blinked, ”Bed. He’s making you a bed.”

For some reason that statement made Lily’s curiosity switch into that of horror, ” _Why_?”

“Uh, because you’re staying with us for a week?” Nami answered, unsure why Lily was panicking over something very simple.

Robin had continued unraveling the fabric around her arms and smiled playfully at Lily, ”What, did you think we wouldn’t give you a place to sleep?”

Lily glanced between the two of them, her lips pursed together. Nami and Robin exchanged a look before Nami laughed suddenly, head shaking, ”We’re not _monsters,_ Lily. You weren’t going to sleep on the floor.”

Lily smiled then, looking a bit embarrassed, ”Well, _again,_ I’m used to that. It’s really no problem-”

“You’re right.” Nami said, taking off her shorts and tossing them onto her discarded shirt, ”There is no problem. By the time we’re done, you’ll have a uh..” She licked her lips and avoided Lily’s eyes, ”..’bed’.” Lily caught onto her wording and nodded slowly, her smile seeming more relaxed then before as Robin undid the wrapping and paused. Nami took notice of this, her smiling falling into a frown as she unhooked her bra and tossed it away, ”Everything alright, Robin?”

Lily was looking at her and smiling like nothing was wrong. It wasn’t until Robin’s back straightened that Nami could fully see why Chopper had seemed so worried. There were long, deep scars all over her arm with a few scraps fading from her bicep. Nami didn’t realize that she had taken Lily’s arm into her hands until she was running her fingers over the smooth skin, ”Lily?”

“Yes?” 

Nami managed to glance up at Lily’s expression, feeling extremely concerned as she continued to smile warmly, ”What….what happened?”

Lily shrugged, gently tugging her arm out of Nami’s grasp and decided to rip at the remaining bandages along her body, ”Oh, I have no idea. I woke up with these.”

“Woke up?” Robin questioned from beside Nami.

Lily managed to remove the wrappings from around her neck, revealing more scars peppering her pale skin, ”Well, I woke up in this tree. And, from what I can remember, I had been sleeping on a large branch.” Nami noticed the way Robin tensed beside her, fingers trembling slightly as she continued to stare at Lily with what seemed to be fear in her eyes. Oblivious, Lily continued to reveal more skin until all of the bandages laid in a heap on the floor, ”Funny thing is, it was like I had been sleeping there for a long time. Who knows how long?” She slowly took off Nami’s old t-shirt, allowing the two to look upon three long scars running along her abdomen.

Nami swallowed, feeling a bit weak in her legs, ”Lily, are you _sure_ you’re okay?”

Lily met her concerned gaze and nodded, standing suddenly and shuffling off the shorts, ”Like I said to your doctor, I am alright.” She grinned at Nami and chuckled, ”What would I gain from lying to you? Death?”

Nami bit her lip and nodded, checking over to see Robin removing her clothing as well and gathering them into a small pile on the corner. She met Nami’s curious gaze with a forced smile, leading the two into the bathhouse and turning on the shower head. Nami took the liberty to help Lily out with the tangles in her hair, making sure to avoid any harm. Lily seemed pleased with the massage, humming slightly and smiling like a little kid. 

Speaking of age, ”Lily, how old are you?”

Lily tipped her head up, looking at Nami through her long lashes, ”That’s a good question.”

“We could ask doctor-san.” Robin offered, scrubbing the soap out of her long hair, ”I’m sure he should be able to figure out what age Lily-san could be.”

Could he really do that? _Huh,_ Nami _really_ didn’t know much about Chopper’s practice. Well, it was probably because she was never warranted the need to. She wasn’t out to endure the remainder of her lifespan in the infirmary like the rest of the men on this ship. That being said, she really should spend more time with the young physician. If only just to figure out how he could tell the age of Lily without any information whatsoever on her background, ”I guess we can later.”

Nami drew her hands from Lily’s curls and smiled at her progress. She cleansed her hands beneath the shower head before gesturing Lily towards the running water so the navigator could clean herself. Lily stood from the stool and turned towards Nami, watching as she picked out her favorite shampoo and poured a generous amount into her left hand.

“Does it really matter?”

“Hm?” Nami glanced up at Lily and ran her fingers through the damp curls, ”Does what?”

“My age?” 

Nami frowned, her fingers curling around a particular strand of hair as she began to rub soothing circles into her scalp, ”Well, don’t you want to know?”

Lily ducked her foaming head into the stream of water beside Robin and shrugged. The older woman met Nami’s curious gaze briefly before stepping away from the steaming shower. As Lily expelled the soap from her hair, she focused her sights onto the damp tiles beneath her, ”I should, shouldn’t I?” She ran a hand through her long locks and let out a sigh, ”Is it bad that I don’t care?” 

“That depends,” Robin began, situating herself in the bathtub and resting her arm over the rim. She had her hair wrapped tightly within a towel except for the few strands curling against the nape of her neck. She looked at Lily with that knowing expression she carries and smiled warmly, ”If you’re too hesitant to find out, then perhaps it’s for the best to avoid the matter altogether.”

Nami shook her head, ”Yeah, but what kind of life is that?” She stood then and joined Lily under the water with her right hand falling flatly on the smaller girl’s shoulder. Nami stared into her wide eyes and said softly, ”You can’t run away from this, Lily. You _need_ to find out who you are.”

Lily frowned at her, searching through her eyes curiously as if there was something missing, ”But don’t you already know I’m-”

“You’re not a witch!”

Lily’s body jerked away instinctively, her shoulder slipping from Nami’s hold as the echo of her outburst took over the room. Despite losing contact with the smaller girl, Nami still held Lily’s gaze tightly as the water trickled down her face and the steam licked her cheeks. She watched carefully as the younger girl stared at her weakly, almost like the weight of Nami’s words had sucked every ounce of energy left from her body. Nami swallowed and parted her lips, trying to think of something, _anything,_ but surprisingly Lily’s lips curled into a smile, ”So, you _were_ listening?”

Nami’s brows drew together in confusion, ”Wait, what-?”

“I didn’t think anyone would! Especially because your captain _doesn’t._ ” Lily clasped her hands together, beaming at Nami and stepping from the shower. When she noticed the questioning look grow into uncertainty across Nami’s features, Lily immediately back peddled and held out her hands in surrender, ”Oh! But that doesn’t mean I assumed anything from any of you.”

Nami could feel a vein throb against the side of her temple. She had no idea what Lily was going on about and started to feel unsure if asking would provide another weird answer. For now, all she can do is stare blankly at her until a burning sensation starts to emit from her eyes. She blinked a few times, hoping to avoid further intrusions and _immediately_ regretted that decision. Turning suddenly with her face pressed close to the showerhead, Nami felt the suds of soap trickle down her face and dip into different crevices along her skin. Her hands jutted up to the burning irises and began rubbing them aggressively until the horrible pain withered into a bothersome irritation. As she stepped away from the intense water pressure and felt along the wall for the towel hanging atop the rack, Nami dried her eyes. Unbeknownst to her, these actions freak Lily out slightly causing her to continue backing away with wide eyes. Blinking back the pain, Nami glances at Lily and draws her brows together in confusion. She goes to turn off the nozzle with her eyes locked on Lily’s weird behavior, ”I’m sorry, but you lost me.”

She can hear Robin chuckling from the tub and remembered the other aches in her shoulders. _Right, bath time._ Nami twisted around and slowly joined Robin in the tub, settling herself beside her with both arms resting atop her knees. 

“Come on, Lily.” Robin motions her outstretched hand towards Lily, drawing Nami’s gaze to Lily who opened her mouth briefly before shutting it. Hesitantly, she crept over towards the rim and looked at Nami warily before joining the two with a nod.

“So..” Nami blinked, watching tiredly as Lily began to tug at her wet hair nervously. She had her knees to her chest and kept her attention on the steam rising around them, ”You’re not upset?”

“About?”

“That I was surprised and all.”

_What the fuck was this girl talking about-_ ”Lily, at this point, I’d be upset if you weren’t surprised.”

Lily stared at her then, which startled Nami. She was still searching her eyes for some kind of understanding in Nami as if the two of them had known each other their whole lives, ”Thank you. I won’t forget this, even after we part.”

_What?_

Robin chuckled beside her again, which had Nami very curious as to what she thought was so hilarious about the situation. Where had this conversation gone? Weren’t they just discussing her age a minute ago? Why did this become a touching moment? Nami opened her mouth then, unsure what she was about to say. After a moment of possibilities running through her mind, she settled on tipping her head back so that her skull was propped against the tiled wall and screamed.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

This situation wasn’t _great_ ; but, it also wasn’t terrible. Or downright _exhausting_ . Zoro couldn’t remember the last decent nap he’s had since that weird blonde appeared and having that witch girl on the Sunny was becoming _unnerving_ as well. He couldn’t figure why she needed to stay on the ship. The idiot was already hell bent on swimming for it. _Would've been honorable,_ Her death that is. Zoro let out a sigh then, cracking his neck to the right and glaring up towards the orange sky. Now that he thought about it, Luffy would have just gone after her and he’d end up rescuing two idiots instead of one.

Zoro gazed out of the corner of his eye and watched as Luffy climbed atop the railing with his fishing pole, smiling wide towards Usopp. Inhaling, Zoro drew his left arm from beneath his neck and turned to examine the growing bruise Luffy’s grip had left. He huffed, unsure what to make of his captain’s insanity. _Why her?_ What a thought that was. It was similar to many he had running along the forefront of his mind a few days prior when he searched for the cook. He asked himself that same question when he came back to Robin’s unconscious form lying limp on the deck. Zoro clenched his fist, remembering the rage he had felt and exhaled, his wandering sight landing on the galley door. Ever since the commotion, Sanji just wasn’t the same. He was a lot stiffer, the pole up his ass seeming to go farther than Zoro imagined. He was also on edge with everyone, including the women. Typically, that wasn’t necessarily a cause for concern seeing as they were too busy with Lily and other witchy things he doesn’t like to think about. The fact remains that the cook has yet to leave the galley and comes up with half assed excuses to continue hiding like a pouting bitch.

Zoro’s eyes narrowed at the porthole, noticing the way the candle light flickered from movement. He let out a drawled sigh and pushed himself forward, coming to a stand with a quick stretch. Yawning, Zoro stalked up the staircase and went to push the door open so fast that it would pound against the wall, ultimately scaring the shit out of the shitty chef. 

_“Sanji, I’m_ **_worried_ ** _about you!”_

Zoro drew his hand back and leaned his hip against the wall, staring towards Usopp as he snagged a rather large fish. He waited for more conversation, finding himself curious towards the shakiness of Chopper’s voice.

_“Chopper, I promise there’s nothing to worry about-”_

_“What_ **_happened_ ** _out there, Sanji?”_

Now _that_ was a question Zoro had on his mind. What _did_ happen to that idiot? One minute Sanji was standing with a knife, his eyes absentmindedly shooting Zoro glares and the next he dropped it on the deck as he disappeared in a flash of dark light. Zoro couldn’t remember the last time he’d ever seen something like that. He couldn’t even think of a reason why, out of everyone, that weirdo went straight for him. 

_“Look, Chopper, I understand the concern. I really do. But I have to-”_

_“Sanji, you’ve smoked an entire pack of cigarettes today and have already depleted your spare down to two! Don’t tell me nothing’s wrong when,_ **_clearly,_ ** _you’re stressed.”_

There was a sudden rustling sound which could only mean that Sanji glanced down at the pack he kept in his pocket and glared at the reality of his situation. _Dumbass_

_“Sanji, not all wounds are physical. You know that right?”_

_“I get that Chopper. I just need to get dinner started, okay?”_

_“Okay, but I want to do a thorough check up afterwards.”_

There was shuffling growing near him, Zoro’s eyes glancing downward as the galley door swung open and revealed a rather upset Chopper. The young doctor noticed Zoro’s perched form resting against the wall and forced a smile, ”Oh, hey Zoro. Do you need something?”

Zoro shook his head and pushed himself from the wall, ”Nah, just came to piss off the cook.”

Chopper frowned at that and sighed, shaking his head, ”Please don’t do that. I don’t think Sanji is in the right state of mind for any fights.” He narrowed his eyes and held Zoro’s gaze with a stern glare, ”Do _not_ fight until I have given everyone a thorough examination. Okay?”

Zoro nodded, watching as Chopper turned on his heel and stalked away in a huff. Well, he still plans to agitate the cook. But, he could probably keep it at a minimum. _Probably._ Zoro caught the door before it closed and stepped through the threshold, his eyes catching the silver glint of a knife as it embedded itself into the wood beside his head. Zoro blinked, turning his focus towards the back of the ero-cook as he continued to dice at vegetables under the candlelight.

“ **Get out**.” 

Well, it’s a good thing he didn’t give Chopper his word. Zoro shrugged, continuing to stride into the room until the door swung shut behind him. He took a seat at the bar and set his swords aside, his arms resting against the counter as he continued to wait for Sanji to turn around. Instead, the angry cook continued to chop and pour ingredients into a flaming iron skillet all the while lighting one of his remaining cigarettes. He let out a few big clouded puffs and gripped the handle of the pan with his left hand, the other clenching around the burning death stick, ”I _said_ get out.”

Zoro stared into his lean back, chin resting in the palm of his right hand as he stated with a sigh, ”Yeah, I heard ya the first time.”

“ _Oh?_ Was it too much for your moss brain to comprehend, then?” Sanji scoffed, flipping whatever he was cooking in the pan in mid air and stretching his hand to the right until it curled around a glass bottle. He poured it over the ingredients, which caused a large puff of flames to lick the air suddenly. The light died as he set the pan over and onto another burner, fingers curling around the knob as the blue hue of gas died slowly. 

Sanji turned on his heel and met Zoro’s tired gaze with a scowl, ”You can’t have any booze. We’re out.”

Zoro rolled his eyes, ”Yeah, I know.” He glanced at the wilting cigarette that now appeared to be a rather small blunt and quirked a brow, ”Any particular reason you’re killing yourself with those?”

Sanji narrowed his eyes, ”Why the fuck are you in my kitchen, Zoro?”

Zoro yawned and shrugged, ”Can’t sleep.”

Sanji’s frown deepened, ”So, what? What does my kitchen have to do with your lack of sleep?”

“What did he say?”

Sanji’s lips parted, his curly brow rising slightly as he continued to glower at Zoro,”What the fuck are you talking about, Marimo?”

“You know what I’m talking about.” Sanji _always_ knew somehow. Which was almost strange considering how confused he had always been around Zoro. 

“Didn’t we already go over this?” Sanji asked, taking his dying cigarette from his lips and putting it out into the base of his ashtray. 

“Can’t say we have, cook.” 

Sanji glared at him and ran a hand through his hair, ”Then it _isn’t_ important, moss head. I have to cook dinner and you need to get the _hell_ out of my kitchen.”

Zoro stared at him for a moment and grinned, ”You’re not gonna last an hour without your smelly sticks.”

Before the rage could gather in Sanji’s system, there was a sudden scream that drew their attention. Zoro pushed himself off the counter and onto his feet, his eyes meeting Sanji’s, ”Sounded like the witch.”

Sanji snarled at him, ”I told you to stop calling her that, asshat!”

Zoro smirked, ”I was talking about the witch girl.”

“She has a name!”

“Yeah but she’s also a witch.”

“You-!”

Another scream cut Sanji off, this time echoing louder all around them. In a huff, the two raced out of the galley and followed the ringing sound around the corner. Franky, Usopp and Luffy had formed a circle around the ladder leading up towards the bathhouse with their attention focused intensely on the fading form of Chopper as he shimmed inside the open latch. Zoro’s steps came to a stop beside Luffy, who immediately glanced at him through the corner of his eye and grinned, ”Hey, Zoro! You missed it! Usopp and I caught a _lot_ of fish.”

Zoro grinned back, ”Oh? Any sharks?”

“Better not have.” Sanji muttered beside him, sending their captain a glare, ”So, what’s going on?”

Usopp glanced at them briefly before returning his attention beneath the bathhouse, ”Well, _someone_ screamed.”

“No kidding.”

“Think it was Lily?”

“Nah, witches don’t scream.”

Sanji frowned, ”What are you talking about Luffy?”

“Yeah,” Usopp started with a huff, ”She’s not even a witch.”

“Usopp-Bro, you gotta let that go.”

“She’s a witch, Usopp.”

“Uh-huh. Sure she is.”

“This really shouldn’t be what we’re focusing on here, guys.” While, _yes,_ Franky was right, watching Usopp and Luffy bicker back and forth about the possibility of Lily being a witch was definitely much more interesting than one of the chicks screaming. That is, unless one of them drowned. But you’d think with all of them together they would be able to save each other. Robin was a devil fruit user, wasn’t she? Could she drown from bath water?

“So is Chopper checking on the ladies or what?” Sanji questioned rather aggressively, his gaze locked on Franky who seemed to be the only one anyone could get a straight answer from.

Franky nodded, ”Yeah, he should be down soon-”

Chopper’s small form slid swiftly down the ladder, his hooves landing squarely onto the deck as he turned towards them with a very uncertain expression. Luffy grinned down at him in anticipation, ”So, who screamed?”

Chopper frowned, ”Well, Nami had. And then Lily did.”

“Hah!” Usopp said suddenly, smirking triumphantly at Luffy,”She _did_ scream! So she _isn’t_ a witch!”

Luffy looked at him as if he were lost in thought and gasped suddenly, snapping his fingers as a sudden realization washed over him, ”So witches _can_ scream!”

“That’s what you’re taking from this?!”

“Are Nami-swan and Lily-chan alright?!” Sanji asked Chopper, worry etched in his voice.

Chopper nodded slowly and still seemed to be uncertain of the situation; which was probably not great coming from a doctor, ”Yeah. Apparently it’s a ‘woman’s thing’ to just….scream..”

Zoro fell into a fit of laughter at that. Poor, _gullible_ Chopper seemed incredibly worried for him as he continued cackling. Luffy joined in on Zoro’s laughter, which was no surprise at all, and slung an arm around his shoulder. 

“Uh, Chopper-Bro, you okay?” Franky asked, kneeling down beside the small physician and tipping his head slightly. Chopper nodded slowly and then quickly shook his head. Franky smiled warmly at him, placing his left hand on top of his hat and patting it gently, ”It’s okay, Bro. It’s just women being women.”

“The fuck does that mean?” Sanji glared down at Franky and tucked his hands into the pocket of his pants.

“Sanji, you’re not even looking at the important aspect here!” Usopp stated, meeting Sanji’s glaring eye with an intense stare, ”Women can _scream_ and it means absolutely _nothing._ ”

“Usopp, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“That’s not just women, Usopp-Bro. Luffy screams all the time.”

“Huh?” Luffy’s giggles subsided as he glanced between Franky and Usopp,”Oh? Screaming?”

Usopp nodded, his hand curling around his chin as he studied their captain with a conclusive thought forming in his mind, ”Right. He does that.”

“You want me to sc-”

“ **_NO!_ **”

Zoro immediately slapped the palm of his left hand onto Luffy’s open mouth, muffling his loud voice. He grimaced as the younger boy began dragging his tongue along his calloused fingers,”Luffy, I _will_ cut out your tongue.”

“You can’t, Zoro!” Chopper cried, making Zoro immediately roll his eyes.

Sanji took out his last cigarette and lit it swiftly, his eyes meeting Zoro’s in understanding, ”Need help?”

“Sanji, you can’t just _help_ him!”

“Well, he technically can. And he probably should because Luffy will-”

Luffy bit down _hard_ onto Zoro’s hand, making him cry out and slightly loosen his grip. The rubber idiot took this opportunity to free his mouth from the confines of Zoro’s grip and tip his head back, grinning madly.

.

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Nami really didn’t know what to tell Chopper. Hell, she can’t even explain the entire situation to herself without screaming again. She let out a sigh and continued to adjust the dress around Lily’s chest. So, _yes,_ she was pretty damn small and, _sure,_ she could probably wear one of Sanji’s dress shirts. But, as Nami finished tying the pale blue sash snuggly around her slim waist, she took a step back to admire her work and found herself smiling. _Definitely a keeper._ Who knew she was absolutely cute in dresses? Nami will have to find more for her to try on later. 

Robin shared a knowing grin with Nami as she continued to brush through her pink curls. Which were not as curly as they had been before, Nami noticed. It was far from wavy but nowhere close to the volume of Usopp’s curls. They actually framed Lily’s face well.

Speaking of Lily, she was sitting there with a small comfortable smile as she watched Robin’s reflection in the mirror. When Robin finished, she stepped aside and admired Lily with that warm smile of hers, ”My, my Lily-san. You look _lovely._ ”

Lily glanced at her reflection and gripped the hem of the dress anxiously, ”Well, _maybe_ -”

Nami stepped over to her, her hands falling onto her exposed shoulders and met her wide eyes with a smile, ”You’re _gorgeous._ ” She giggled as a light pink dusted over Lily’s cheeks.

“There’s no need to be shy over it.” There really wasn’t. She was beautiful. Hell, she was pretty before the bath. Not to mention when she smiles. It was a pity she couldn’t see that. Well, maybe she really couldn’t. Has she ever seen her reflection before? _Nope, brain no-_

“Should we head down, Nami-san?” Robin asked, catching her attention as she headed towards the latch Chopper previously emerged from.

Nami let go of Lily and nodded, heading over to the corner and scooping up the laundry, ”Yeah, lets-”

“ _LILY! NAMI! I CAN SCREAM TOO!”_

Nami nearly dropped everything in her hold. She stared incredulously between Lily and Robin when Lily questioned, ”That’s Luffy, right?”

_God, it always is,_ “Unfortunately,” Nami let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, readjusting the clothing in her hold, ”Yes.”

Nami watched as Lily’s lips curled into a wide grin as she giggled, ”He’s so silly.”

Nami snorted, ”I mean silly isn’t the word _I_ would use. But let’s go with that.”

“I wonder, should I scream too?”

“Robin, go for it.”

“Is that some sort of custom? Screaming?”

“It is now.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about it Lily.”

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Franky wouldn’t say he believed in witches. Then again, _believing_ in witches suggested that they were some mythical being which…..probably not? Sure witches can do…..whatever it is they do, but that didn’t make them mythical. Besides, Lily didn’t look mythical. Hell, even if she _was_ green Franky wouldn’t even begin to think of myths. People can be green and not be witches. Zoro himself had green hair. So as far as he is concerned, witches aren’t something to be believed in. Rather, they should be studied.

Although Lily being a witch is only a possibility, Franky couldn’t help but watch her every move just in case he spotted any witchcraft. Sure, he didn’t know what to look for exactly but he was still determined. He took a languid sip of his lukewarm coffee, his gaze peering down to his left as he watched Lily fiddle with her fingers under the table. She seemed to be less nervous than she had been the last time she sat at the table, which was a great sign. Female bonding was definitely something he’d have to ask Robin about later that day. Perhaps in the library over coffee and tea.

“So,” Franky began, waiting patiently until Lily’s attention turned to him, ”I’m sure the girls already informed you but I did make you a bed in their room.”

Lily nodded, smiling, ”Right. Thank you for that.”

Franky took another sip of his coffee and grinned, leaning back into the stool, ”No prob, Sis.”

“Is it actually um…” Franky’s gaze drew to Nami who sat hunched over the table adjacent from him. She seemed to be giving him one of those weird looks she often shares with Robin. He honestly appreciates the inclusive gesture but he still has no idea what she’s trying to communicate to him, ”..like my bed?” 

That was an odd question, but one he could answer immediately with his killer smile, ”It’s Super, Nami-Sis! Probably the best bed I’ve made yet.” She did not seem pleased with this answer. Instead, she sent Robin a wary look that only made the older women smile. Well, as long as Robin was happy with his work.

Franky could feel a sharp object jab into his side, his gaze darting down to Usopp who had his mouth covered and his elbow jutted out. He glanced at Franky and asked softly, ”So it _is_ like our beds, right?”

Franky frowned down at him, unsure what the younger boy was implying, ”Yes, Usopp.”

Usopp’s curious eyes met his again briefly, ”Promise?”

“Yes, Bro. It’s all good.” Usopp seemed content with that answer and nodded, his right hand curling around the handle of his mug with which he sipped quietly.

“Oh, that’s right!” Franky’s attention shifted to Luffy who sat in front of him with his wide bright eyes beaming at Lily, ”I almost forgot you have so many scars!”

Usopp spat out his coffee, which happened to land all over the table. A towel was thrown into the wheezing boy’s face just as Luffy’s head smacked into the table top. _Dumbass._ Franky glanced at Lily who, surprisingly enough, was more concerned about the throbbing mass forming on Luffy’s forehead then his rude comment, ”Are you alright?”

Luffy grinned at her and nodded, ”Yeah, this usually happens.”

_Well, that's because you’re an_ _idiot._

“Like the screaming?”

“Screaming?”

“It’s honestly more like yelling.”

“Also fighting.”

“Yeah everyone’s pretty violent.”

“I’m not, you bastard!”

“Chopper, you body slammed me last week.”

“You also threatened to experiment on us in our sleep.”

“And I will too if you _bastards_ won't stop fighting!”

Franky let out a small laugh, his eyes catching a glimpse of movement towards the mug grasped tightly in his left hand. He noticed the steam accumulating at the top and immediately spotted Sanji’s thin form hovering over Lily with that sappy charming smile of his. He blew against the hot vapor, watching curiously as Lily stared into Sanji’s eye with her hands clasped tight around the hem of her dress, ”What can I get for you to drink this evening, my beautiful mellorine?”

Lily seemed confused, teeth worrying at her lip. Sanji persisted with that friendly smile of his, patiently waiting for Lily to come to terms with her choice. When she parted her lips, her eyes darted to the floor briefly and back to his heart felt gaze, ”Water seems okay with me. But I can get my own-”

“No need, Lily-chan!” Sanji whirled on his heel, stalked over to the pitcher of ice water he had waiting on the counter and poured her a generous amount in a tall glass. When he returned to her side, placing the drink just a few inches before her on the table, he took her hand and said, ”I am here to make sure your stay with us goes smoothly.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Yeah, but he will anyway.” Franky mentions, catching Lily’s curious attention as well as Sanji’s glare.

“And when he does, then you’ll join my crew!” Luffy declared, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding to himself.

Lily let out a small laugh and rolled her eyes, ”I’m not joining, Luffy.”

Luffy shot Lily a wide grin and nodded to himself again, ”You definitely will.”

“Wanna bet?”

Franky took a hesitant sip of his coffee and shook his head. This never did end _well._ Especially when Nami was involved. _Thankfully she’s not-_

“Depends on the bet.” Nami stated, leaning over Luffy once again and smiling wide towards Lily. She had her chin propped up into the palm of her right hand and a smug smile curling along her lips. _So much for that._

Lily tipped her head slightly and said, ”Well I really have nothing to offer _if_ I lose….” Her free hand gently tapped against the glass of water set in front of her, ”But, I’ll win. So, I’m cool with anything.”

“Well aren’t we cocky?” Robin mused, smiling wickedly.

“Nah, I’ll definitely win.” Luffy stated, jutting his thumb towards his chest.

“The bet is whether I choose to stay or not, Luffy. Y’know I hold all of the power here, right?” Lily took a few sips from her drink, eyeing Luffy with a curious gaze. She was _absolutely_ correct. She could very well just leave now and win instantly. But, she definitely was ignorant to one vital fact. When Luffy is determined to have something, he _will_ have it. One way or another.

“So, Luffy,” Nami began, glancing at their captain from the corner of her eye and grinned, ”If you win, what do you want?”

Luffy curled his fingers around his chin and stared at the table in thought. After a minute he slammed his palms flat against it and stated with a determined nod, ”Meat.”

“Of course.”

“Well no surprise there.”

“What about you, Lily?” Franky glanced down at the young girl and waited with eager anticipation for her request. 

Lily set her drink down and looked at Luffy’s blank expression with a small smile, ”Well, I want to say goodbye.”

“Why would you want to do that?” Usopp questioned from beside him, eyebrows scrunched together.

Lily kept her focus solely on Luffy and let out a small sigh, ”Because I highly doubt I’ll see any of you again and it’s best to leave with confirmation.” 

_Well that’s depressing._ But was she wrong? They have a journey set ahead in a very unnerving and challenging environment. It was more likely that all of them would perish before Luffy could become King than it was for them to see Lily walking by again. Hell, she may not even make it after they part ways. It wasn’t like she had something to protect herself or any knowledge on survival in various environments. Franky swallowed thickly at the thought and closed his eyes briefly. This whole thing felt _wrong._ But what was keeping her here in the first place? What would she even offer on the ship? 

Oblivious to the silence that had accumulated in the room, Franky turned to look at Lily who met his gaze immediately, ”Do you have a plan?”

She smiled at him, ”Nope.” _No surprise there._

“So you really won't see us again?” Franky frowned, turning slightly to his left and finding Chopper’s small furry self standing beside Lily with his hooves settled onto her lap. He was sniffing, a few stray tears catching Franky’s eye as he watched Lily take her hand back from Sanji and gently lift Chopper into her lap. 

She stroked his cheeks and smiled warmly down at him, ”There’s no need to cry. Not all goodbyes are sad.”

“They are when it’s forever!” 

“ _Chopper_ ,” Lily said soothingly, pressing his crying form into her as they embraced, ”You don’t know me.”

“I don’t have to!” 

“You sound like Luffy.”

“Because he’s right!” Chopper pulled his head away from her chest far enough so he could meet her concerned gaze, ”And he _will_ definitely win this bet! Or he’ll be the first one I operate on.”

Well _damn._ Franky smirked, impressed by Chopper’s determination as well as his not so subtle declaration to Luffy that he wants Lily to join just as much as the other. Of course, Luffy was bouncing with joy from this statement and grinned widely, ”I knew you’d understand, Chopper.”

“Yeah, but he did threaten to operate on you.” Usopp pointed out.

Zoro smirked beside him, “As long as it’s not me.”

“That’s the spirit!” Franky cheered, raising his mug in tow.

“Well I guess that settles it.” Nami stated, pulling herself back into her space, ”May the best idiot win!”

“Don’t call her an idiot, witch.”

“I said stop calling Nami-swan that, _shitty_ Marimo!”

“I don’t mind. I probably am an idiot.”

“See? Even she admits it.”

“She also thinks she’s a witch.”

“Which she _is-”_

“ _-isn’t!_ ”

“Okay, you both need to stop that.”

“If any of you so much as try to get into a fight, you will _all_ have to sleep with one eye open tonight.”

“Jesus, Chopper.”

“Nonviolent my ass.”

“Anyone who fights in _my_ kitchen dies now.”

“Okay, Sanji-Bro, we get it-”

“I’d like to see you try, shitty cook.”

“Guys, _really-”_

“So…” Franky glanced towards Lily, who seemed to be scooting her stool further away from the table. She eyed him carefully and asked, ”Should I just go?”

“If you want, I can give you a tour of the ship.”

She beamed at that suggestion, ”That sounds nice.”

“You two can do that later.” Sanji set a steaming plate full of food in front of Lily, placing a folded napkin with silverware beside it and sauntered over towards the other two girls with their dinner. Tonight's dish seemed to be some type of curry with a side of chopped vegetables. He watched as Sanji went back for the men’s dishes, placing each in front of them with their respected silverware as well. 

Franky immediately dived into his dinner, absentmindedly glancing towards Luffy who continued to scarf down his meal without the need of utensils. He noticed how Chopper reappeared into his chair, one hove wiping at his tears while the other scooped rice into his mouth. Sanji had taken residence at the bar, eating carefully as he watched everyone expectantly. 

“This is really good.” Lily stated, staring with surprise at her plate.

Franky could see Sanji grinning from the bar and nodded, “Yeah, it always is.”

“So who’s on watch tonight?”

“I’ll do it.” Zoro stated, shoveling another spoonful into his mouth.

“You need to sleep, moss head. I’ll do it.”

“Didn’t think you cared, swirly cue.”

“Sanji’s right, Zoro. You need your sleep.” Chopper reprimanded, glaring at the swordsman through the corner of his eye.

Franky swallowed, ”I’ll do it.”

“You sure, Franky?”

He smiled at Nami and gave a thumbs up ,”Always am.”

“Then I guess that’s settled.”

“Zoro, you can help Sanji with the dishes.”

“Nami-swan, there’s really no need-”

“Sanji! Seconds!”

“Don’t interrupt me, asshole!” Sanji snapped, taking the plate Luffy had stretched towards him and began to put more of the curry onto his plate. 

“What’s ‘watch’?” Lily questioned, glancing at Franky curiously.

Franky took a long sip from his cup and let out a satisfied sigh, ”It's where one of us stays up for the night just in case someone decides to attack.”

Lily frowned slightly, ”Does that happen often?”

Franky shook his head, ”Not as far as I know. I haven’t been on this crew long enough to know.”

“Oh? So you joined at a different time than everyone else?”

“We all did.” Nami said with a smile.

“Oh, cool.”

“I was actually the most recent of us to join.” Franky proudly declared, shooting Lily one of his flashy smirks.

“Don’t worry about it, Lily.” Luffy said, smiling at her as Sanji placed his plate back in front of him, ”You’ll be the newest member next.” 

Lily met his smiling grin with a raised brow, ”We’ll see about that.”


	6. Chapter 5

_ So this is it? _

Lily inhaled deeply and turned onto her side, her eyes piercing through the dark room to study the shadows that danced in moonlight. As she exhaled, the weight of her fear settled along her skin and numbed her fingertips. She had her fingers curled tightly against her arms, knuckles now white as her body shuddered involuntarily once again. 

**_Witch._ **

Lily swallowed thickly, closing her eyes as the haunted image of fire appeared around her. 

**_Kill the witch!_ **

**“** I’m...not-”

**_Evil has risen once again!_ **

She remembered it clearly. The way fire had licked her skin as her eyes stared pleadingly at the bright moon. Hands tied behind splitting wood with wrists slit, soaking the binds. Lily watched as the mass of others formed around her. Happy to watch her perish.

A gentle breeze seeped into the room, brushing against her shaking shoulders as her eyes fluttered open and focused on the moonlight that began to spread further along the carpet. Slowly, Lily pushed herself up from the mattress, gaze watching curiously as the door to the girl’s cabin continued to silently open. She held her breath, unsure what was to follow. With the door now wide open, Lily shrank back onto the mattress and waited. 

A sudden rustle made her entire body jostle with fear, head whipping around to her left and falling onto the dark form of Robin as she turned over. Lily blinked, listening carefully for the older woman’s heavy breathing and relaxed her shoulders as Robin continued to sleep soundly. Letting out a shaky sigh, Lily placed her feet against the carpet and padded over towards the open door. She grasped the handle and slowly shut the door, making sure the lock clicked in place before she went back to bed. Just as the tips of her fingers brushed against the warm sheets, Lily felt a stronger gust of cool breeze lift the hem of her dress and tumble through her curls. With wide eyes, Lily turned cautiously towards the door she had just shut and gasped as it appeared to be wide open once again. 

Slightly irritated, Lily walked over towards the door again and paused when her eyes fell onto a tall figure. It was transparent with its form rippling like water from the moonlight’s rays. She could make out two dark pools that sparkled like irises and watched as it outstretched a limb towards her. 

“Who…?” Her words fell flat as she noticed how her hand instantly shot forward, fingers curling around the limb as if it were familiar. She swallowed, noting how chilling the figure’s appendage was. It sent shivers along her arms and down her back. Without any warning, Lily felt herself being yanked forward, her feet now standing flat against the deck of the second floor. She blinked, the figure nowhere to be seen. Her outstretched hand was soaked in something. She brought it closer to her face, examining the texture a bit better. It was almost like water, but not quite. She backed up, her eyes widening as she felt something solid behind her. She whipped her body around, her hand covering her mouth as she stared at the door that had locked itself.

_ What’s happening? _

Another strong gust of cool air pushed her body towards the stairs, grabbing her attention as she turned towards the deck of the ship and found the tall figure standing by the railing. Lily took a deep breath and steadied herself before she descended the steps. As her feet landed atop the warm grassy deck, Lily held onto the banister and asked, ”Can...can I help you?”

The pooling irises were locked onto her once again, sending a familiar wave of guilt coursing through her blood. The figure turned slightly so that she could once again witness moonlight cause a series of ripples to appear within the liquid mass. Lily bit her lip, unable to look away from the sparkle in its eyes, ”What...how are you here?”

It lifted the same appendage she had just held onto out towards the sea, drawing her attention to a dark mass forming along the lapping surface. Unsure of what to make of it, Lily glanced back and found herself gapping at the figure’s disappearance once again. She whipped her head around the ship, squinting through the dark shadows and noticing a small gleam of light appear in the galley. Running towards it, Lily rounded the staircase and slowly stepped towards the door. The light flickered through the cracks beneath the wood and faded as her palm laid flat against the door. Lily opened the door immediately, blinked through the darkness and let it shut softly behind her. 

“Oi, Lily-”

Lily screamed, jumping back and grasping the bar stool tightly as the light she witnessed before sparked to life, illuminating Luffy’s confused expression. She let out a sigh of relief and clutched at her racing heart, feeling slightly dizzy as well as completely terrified, ”Oh my god, Luffy you  _ scared _ me-”

“What are you doing here?” Luffy cut her off, placing the lighter down beside the candle and readjusting the lantern so it hung up right by the hook. The flame licked color into his cheeks, shadowing his ears and brow line beneath his hat. He was standing over towards the fridge with his hands limp by his sides, fingers tapping erratically against the hem of his shorts. Lily glanced around the room and noticed the cabinet door wide open just a few feet away with what appeared to be a trail of crumbs leading into the kitchen. She frowned slightly and took a step closer to Luffy, rubbing at her arms, ”I could ask you the same question.”

“Oh,” Luffy said, nodding slightly and glanced around the kitchen. He had his lips pursed together in thought, examining the trail from the cabinet to where he stood and said, ”Well, uh, I wasn’t doing anything.”

Lily momentarily stalled her hand, curling her fingers around her bicep as she said, ”I believe you.”

Luffy gaped at her, eyes wide with surprise as he asked, ”Really?”

Lily smiled, ”No, not at all.”

Luffy let out an exaggerated sigh, slouching his shoulders as his head fell into his hands, ” _ Please  _ don’t tell Sanji.”

Lily arched a brow curiously, scanning her memory of who exactly had that name within his crew. It wasn’t the doctor, she noted, grimacing slightly when she recalled how persistent he’d been towards her injuries. It also wasn’t the taller guy. Franky, she thinks.  _ Maybe.  _ She let out a sigh, feeling slightly irritated with her memory as she offered Luffy a reassuring look, ”Well, I wasn’t planning on telling him.”

Luffy’s head tipped up, eyes sparkling towards her, ”You mean it?!”

Lily nodded, not sure why he was getting so excited over her keeping a simple secret. Luffy grinned wide, his hands falling back to his sides and said, ”You’re the best, Lily!”

“Right, so…..” Lily began, averting her gaze and observing the shadowed area of the galley. She continued to rub her arm, feeling a cool chill run across her neck and sucked in a breath, ”..I’ll just go now.” She went to turn but found herself cornered by Luffy’s sudden close approach. He was in her face, head tipped slightly towards her as he searched her wide eyes.

“What’s up?”

Lily frowned, unsure what exactly Luffy was implying. She swallowed thickly, her focus spanning from the depth of his gaze as she studied his face within the candle light. 

When she first met Luffy, the prison was shrouded in darkness and it had been two days since she last ate anything. She had a few cuts along her right leg, bleeding over several bruises and barely had enough water left in the bowl the pirates  _ graciously  _ provided. Lily couldn’t remember what time of day it had been, but it was late. She was laying on her side, adjusting her starving body to the pain from her leg and staring blankly into one of the walls. To her, his arrival had been an awakening. 

_ The door’s hinges creaked, causing her lungs to swell with fear as a large mass was heaved into the room and rolled over until a part of it nudged her foot. Laughter soon followed as did the echo of the door slamming shut. For a while she stayed just like that, laying perfectly still with her ears searching for any indication of what the pirates had brought.  _

_ She gasped when the mass made a particularly loud grunt, sucking in the air and choking on something. Immediately, she pushed herself up and crawled over towards it, her hand laying flat against a rising chest. Cautiously, she placed her ear against it and listened carefully for a heart beat. It was faint.  _ Very _ , faint. But it was there. Lily felt around the body, her right hand pressing into soft skin, tracing it until it touched the stranger’s mouth. It was parted, wheezing in the air and hacking up something. Her eyes narrowed, squinting through the darkness as she cupped the person’s face, thumb padding beneath their left eye and feeling something rough.  _

_ Heavy footsteps approached them then, the door to her prison bursting open as the dangling bulb above flickered several times before settling onto a dim yellow hue. Lily craned her head around, watching as two familiar men sauntered into the room with the captain right behind them. Two bowls had settled beside Lily, one full of water and the other filled with something barely resembling food. They departed as fast as they appeared, leaving Lily in complete terror as the captain puffed out a few clouds of nicotine and grinned, ”Found ‘em attempting to rescue you, girly. Seems someone got to him beforehand though.” _

_ Lily’s breath caught in her chest, her fingers tightening around the strangers face as the captain removed the cigar between his yellow teeth and chuckled, ”I’ll give you time to mourn him. It’ll give ya something to look forward to,  _ **_witch_ ** _.” Stomping the butt beneath the sole of his sandal, the man turned and left the room.  _

_ Lily let out a relieved sigh, shoulders relaxing slightly as she noticed a slightly damaged straw hat lying a few feet from the door. Curious, Lily glanced down at the stranger and placed the back of her hand to his forehead. Shocked at the heat emitting from his skin, she grasped the hem of her dress at two ends and ripped it. Using the slightly dirty cloth, she limped over towards the water bowl and pressed the fabric into the cool liquid. Lily folded her ripped dress and placed it over the man’s forehead, staring apologetically at him, ”I’m sorry you got into this mess.” _

_ She gently stroked his left cheek, thumb running over the scar she couldn’t see before and studied his face. With a small smile, she whispered, ”What did a guy like you  _ do _ to wind up here of all places?” _

“Lily?”

Lily inhaled sharply, her eyes wide with surprise as she found her hand stroking Luffy’s cheek, thumb gently tracing the scar.  _ When did I…?  _ She swallowed and closed her eyes, ”Ah, sorry. I got distracted.”

“By my scar?” 

Her eyes fluttered open, staring deeply into Luffy’s and noticing just how dark his irises were, ”Yes..I’m so sorry. That’s so rude of me..” She drew her hand away slowly, eyes darting towards it as she watched Luffy’s curl around it.

_ Oh boy. _

“Do you wanna know how I got it?” He offered, smiling softly towards her as his hand drew hers back to it. She bit her lip, fingers returning along his skin as her thumb planted gently onto the small scar. She kept her eyes locked in his, waiting with baited breath as he continued, ”Do you remember when I told you about my hat?”

Did she remember? Surprisingly, yes. Which slightly felt insulting considering she had no idea who ‘Sanji’ was. Even though she’s been around all of the crew members enough to recognize faces. Lily nodded, ”Someone important gave it to you. To keep it safe.” 

Luffy’s smile grew, “Yeah, Shanks gave it to me when I was young. Back then, I wanted to be a pirate like him. But he kept telling me over and over how I was  _ too  _ young.”

Lily found herself smiling, “I bet that upset you.”

“Yup, and, to prove to him I was big and strong, I took a knife-” Luffy’s index finger and thumb pressed into Lily’s skin, picking up her thumb and placing it towards the left edge of the scar, dragging it slowly as he said,”-and cut into my cheek.” 

Lily’s eyes grew, mouth parting slightly as she studied the small cut and whispered, ”Of course you did.”

“Shank’s was  _ so  _ mad.”

“I bet.”

“And then he lost his arm saving my life.”

Lily felt her heart sink, gaze rising to meet Luffy’s as her smile fell, ”I’m so sorry.”

Luffy kept smiling, unfazed by the sad recollection of his story and said, ”No need to be. He’s still alive and well. Waiting for me to return his hat as The Pirate King.”

Lily blinked, unsure what else she could say. She briefly glanced at her hand, which is still caressing Luffy’s cheek with his hand curled over top of it. Lily was unsure if pulling away would upset him and chose to stay put, eyes going back to his. They fell into a collective silence, their breathing only evident with the rise and fall of their chests. If Lily was being honest with herself, she wasn’t uncomfortable at all in this position. Luffy was  _ warm  _ and smiling kindly at her like she meant something. And  _ god  _ did that feel ethereal. She almost wished she could stay there forever, safe and warm. 

Her eyes fell shut then.

**_Don’t fool yourself._ **

She withdrew her hand from Luffy’s and stepped back, averting her gaze towards the flame that licked wax and air.

_ I can’t stay here. _

“You never told me why you’re up.”

_ Right, _ She didn’t do that. Lily let out a sigh and walked over towards one of the chairs, fingers brushing over the table’s surface, ”I..couldn’t sleep.”

“Huh, why’s that?”

She shut her eyes and found herself smiling, “You all sure love to ask me questions.” She traced the curves and indents in the wood, head shaking, ”And I can  _ never  _ seem to answer them.”

“You don’t have to answer us, y’know.”

She stopped her search, eyes fluttering open and readjusting to the candle light, ”You have the right to ask them. No matter the circumstance.” 

“Lily, we’re not going to force you to answer them.”

She turned to Luffy then, recognizing the serious glint in his eyes from before. She huffed, curling her fingers against the table top into a tight fist, ”Why  _ not,  _ Luffy?” Her voice cracked, eyes blurry from tears as they spilled one by one down her cheeks. She brushed a few aside, shaking her head, ”Why are you treating me like this? Why do you  _ insist  _ I stay here? I-” She closes her eyes, swallowing a sob as she smooths out her breathing, ”I’m no good.” Oh how that was such an understatement. No matter how often she finds herself alive, she can  _ feel  _ it. This unknown  _ wrong  _ inside of her. She can’t count how often she sees it when she sleeps, fearing the darkness around her. 

“I have to go, Luffy. I-” Her breath hitches when she feels the familiar press of straw against her head, eyes fluttering open slowly as she blurrily makes out a shoulder and small black curls. She could feel his arms around her, holding onto her shaking body as she continued to silently cry. He didn’t say a word, his forehead falling onto her shoulder as his hands drew circles into her back. Lily’s eyes welled with more tears, her own head falling limp into the crook of his neck as she wept for all she was worth until the darkness swallowed her whole and everything went blank.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


When Lily woke up, she could smell something nice. It was vaguely familiar, her mind recalling a certain sensation she once felt. Her eyes fluttered open, gaze focusing on something in front of her. As her sight cleared, Lily recognized the table top and found herself peering at it from a different angle. Frowning, she felt around her, noting a plush surface beneath her as well as something heavy resting over her shoulders. She pushed herself up, her left hand cradling her head as she watched from the corner of her eye as a brown blanket fell slowly down her body and pooled around her thigh. 

_ I don’t remember falling asleep… _

“Good morning, Lily-san.” Lily jumped, fingers digging into her scalp as she stared with wide eyes at Robin who was smiling warmly towards her. She had one hand curled around a small mug, the other holding open a book that lay flat against the table.

Lily blinked, ”Um, hi?” Well this was awkward. She held her breath, hoping that her absence from the room hadn’t upset the other girls.

Robin placed something between the yellowed pages and shut the book, her other hand bringing the steaming mug to her lips, ”How did you sleep?”

“Robin-chan who are you-oh!” Lily’s focus snapped over towards the chef, his blue eye meeting hers as he slowly grinned, ”Good Morning, Lily-chan! Would you like something to drink?”

She dropped her arm, hand falling against the other in her lap as she stared around the galley and found no one else lying in wait to give her a heart attack. She went back to meet the blond’s patient grin and smiled softly, ”Water would be fine.”

“Coming right up!” He turned his head back towards whatever he had been doing, arms moving in flashes around the room before he stepped around the bar and placed the glass beside Robin’s on the table. Slowly, Lily stood from what appeared to be a couch and took a seat beside Robin. Her fingers curled around the glass, arm bringing it to her lips as she downed the entire glass and let out a satisfied sigh.

“You seem to be a bit dehydrated. I’ll pour you some more.” 

Lily handed the class to him, releasing it with a nod as she smiled, ”Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“Was the bed not to your liking?” Lily turned to Robin who took a languid sip of her drink, eyes peering into hers as if she were prey.

Lily shook her, ”No! The bed was  _ really  _ nice! I just couldn’t sleep and…” She glanced away, trying to recall what happened the night before. Drawing a blank, Lily let out a sigh and slammed her head against the table, ”I forget the rest.”

“No need to slam your head, Lily-chan.” Lily lifted her head, eyes falling onto the glass set before her and felt long fingers curl under her chin. Her gaze locked onto the cook, noticing something strange in his iris, ”The table’s atrocities are not worth risking your beauty.” 

_ What did that mean? _

“So you sleep walk, hm?” Robin said, sounding amused. She continued to stare at her like a hungry wolf and placed her chin into her awaiting palm, ”How interesting.”

“No, I don’t think that’s it-”

“If you find that bed uncomfortable,” Lily glanced back towards the chef, recognizing a heart taking shape in his eye, ”You can always sleep with me.”

Lily felt her entire face grow warm, her mouth open but the words dying against her tongue. 

“Sanji-kun, what are you doing?” Lily glanced towards the voice, making out Nami’s red hair and quirked brow.  _ So this was Sanji.  _

Sanji released her chin, pulled himself away from the table and twirled over to Nami, grinning, ”Good morning, Nami-swan! What would you like to drink this morning?”

Nami glanced at him, face resembling indifference as she said, ”Coffee will be fine for today.”

“Anything for you!” He sauntered back into the kitchen, arms flashing around again at rapid speed as Nami took a seat across from Lily and eyed her carefully, ”Don’t worry about him. He’s harmless.”

Lily frowned slightly, grasping at the glass and bringing the rim to her lips, ”Uh..okay.” She took a few sips, her heart racing with each rise and fall of her chest. As she set the glass down, Nami picked her cup up, which seemed to appear out of thin air, and brought it to her lips, blowing against the steam gently.

“So what would you like to do today?” Robin inquired, glancing between the two and taking another sip of her drink.

Nami took a sip from her own and let out a satisfied sigh, ”Don’t know. Probably will chart the area and look into that storm.”

Lily frowned, ”Storm?”

Nami glanced at her and nodded, ”Yeah, we got hit by a sudden tidal wave awhile ago. It stranded us on that island where we found you and Luffy.”

Lily blinked, ”Oh, I see.” The room fell silent, only the stream of water sloshing against plates echoing within the kitchen. Lily bit her lip and clenched the hem of her dress into her left fist.  _ Should've kept silent. _

“What would you like to do, Lily-san?” Lily glanced at Robin and frowned, unsure of what she  _ could  _ do. 

Sanji turned then, drying a plate with a white towel and asked, ”Didn’t Franky say he’d give you a tour of Sunny today?”

_ Sunny?  _ What the hell was that? Lily vaguely remembered ‘Franky’ as the taller man with metal attached to his skin and gelled hair. She couldn’t recall him mentioning a ‘sunny’ anything. All he offered was to show her around the ship, which was very sweet and generous. 

“It’s our ship, Lily.” Nami stated as if she could read her thoughts, a smile spreading across her glossed lips, ”The ship’s name is The Thousand Sunny but we call her ‘Sunny’ for short.”

_ That made sense,  _ “Right. Then yes, ‘Franky’ did.”

“You don’t have to say his name like that.”

“He was the one who sat next to you last night.”

“He also made your bed.”

“Speaking of which, are you  _ sure  _ the bed was okay?”

“Yes.” Lily confirmed with a nod, smiling softly, ”It was nice. I should thank him for making it..” Lily mentioned, pushing herself up from her chair, eyes set on the exit.

“You already did last night.”

_ Well, shit.  _ There went her excuse to leave. Slowly, Lily sat back down and nervously said, ”Right, okay.”

“Hmm, you seem to have forgotten many things since yesterday.” Robin stated, trailing her eyes up and down Lily’s form, ”Perhaps you should pay doctor-san a visit. Maybe he could help you jog your memory.”

Lily blinked, “Oh, sure. Do you know where he might be?”

Nami hummed to herself, fingers tapping against the mug rhythmically as she met Lily’s curious gaze and nodded, ”He should be in the infirmary. Would you like me to show you there?”

Lily nodded, offering a hesitant smile, ”That would be great. Thank you.”

“Make sure he doesn’t keep you too long,” Sanji mentioned over his shoulder, waving back at them, ”Breakfast will be ready soon.”

“Alright, better get going then.”

_ Right,  _ It was time to give the young physician another reason to worry over her. But  _ any _ excuse was worth the expense as long as she could leave and get as far away from Robin’s piercing eyes as possible.

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“So, Luffy….” Usopp began slowly, settling himself beside his captain on top of Sunny’s figure head with one leg propped against the mane and the other crossed towards him. He had his hands resting against both knees, shoulders hunched over with his face narrowed on the lapping waves below. He mentally sighed, feeling somewhat calm despite how easily it was to slip and be split in two. His captain was perched in his usual cross legged manor, eyes staring with an insatiable longing towards the morning hue of pink and light blue. Usopp wouldn’t normally find himself bothering him during these few hours into the morning; But, as his eyes glanced towards the curling black mop of hair, he noticed something was off,”...you okay?”

Luffy kept himself still, the cool morning breeze tumbling through the sparkling water and splashing at them like a little kid. Usopp rubbed his cheeks against his shoulders, frowning slightly at the dangerous ocean he’s dealt with for what felt like years. 

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Well, that  _ sounded  _ genuine. If he were going off of the sound of his voice alone, Usopp would backtrack and plant his feet safely onto the decks of the Thousand Sunny. He peered at Luffy and laced his fingers together, ”So...what’s up?”

Luffy’s head turned slightly so that Usopp could see the corner of his eye, ”..’m just thinkin…”

_ Well that was never a good sign,  _ “About what?”

Luffy turned back and shrugged. Usopp let out a soft sigh, his ears ringing as another wave thrashed against the ship, ”Is it about Lily?” Luffy nodded slowly which made Usopp snort,  _ No surprise there. _

“Worried she won’t join us after all?” 

Luffy shook his head, his arms crossing over his chest as he said, ”No, she will.”

_ Sure she will.  _

“Usopp, why do you keep saying she isn’t a witch?”

Usopp arched a brow, feeling a bit confused by the question, ”Uh..because she said she wasn’t?” Lily had been adamant about not being one from the start despite how often she would go back to saying she was just to piss off Zoro. Which was so  _ fucking  _ confusing. It gives him a headache just thinking about it, ”Why do you believe she is one?”

Luffy turned to face him fully and smiled warmly, ”Oh, I have no idea.”

_ Of course. _

“Yo! You two coming to breakfast or what?” 

Usopp twisted his neck around and narrowed his eyes on Franky who had jutted a thumb towards the galley door behind him. He almost forgot about breakfast, his stomach rumbling in agreement as he slowly began to climb back onto the deck. He had one foot to the floor when Luffy rammed into his back, sending him down to his knees. Usopp glared towards the running idiot and raced after him, muttering to himself. Franky had held the door open for them, allowing both to pass through and greet Robin who was nearly finished reading another book. 

She smiled at the three, eyes sparkling in that weird  _ suspicious _ way and said, ”Hungry, are we?”

_ No, I came here to read.  _ Usopp kept himself from rolling his eyes, taking a seat at the other end of the table and glancing to the left. Luffy is hovering over the couch, eyes searching over it with his lips pursed. Franky took a spot beside him, thanking Sanji as the blond set a mug of coffee down in front of him. Usopp nodded to their cook, grasping the warm mug of tea he offered and blew against the steam that licked his cheeks.

“Ya lookin’ for something?” Franky asked, eyes watching Luffy as he continued to stare blankly at the couch.

Usopp caught the way Robin’s lips curled into a scary smirk as she glanced towards their captain and asked, ”I wonder, how did that blanket end up on the floor?”

Luffy immediately focused on the floor where, sure enough, their brown wool blanket was laying in a heap. He grasped it, yanked it upwards and grinned as his straw hat was revealed. He placed it atop his head and smiled at Robin, ”Thanks, Robin!”

“Why was your hat under a blanket?”

“As long as it’s not in the damn ocean.” Usopp muttered, sipping his tea and watching as Luffy sat to his left, fingers idly drumming against the wood.

“Because I left it there.”

“Well, yeah. I can see that.”

Sanji waltzed over once more, his long fingers setting down a tall glass of chocolate milk that made Luffy’s grin widened, ”Thanks, Sanji!” He downed the milk like a shot, leaving a wet milky stache above his lip. Sanji tossed him a napkin which, surprisingly, he used.

“My, my…” Robin began, shutting her book around her index finger while her chin sat perched against her fist, ”You sure are acting strange today, captain-san.” She narrowed her eyes at him and mused, ”I wonder why that is.”

“I’m not acting strange.”

“Well…” Usopp shut his mouth, averting his gaze back to his tea and taking a definitely-not-suspicious-at-all sip. 

“I  _ would _ normally believe you, Bro-”

“Thanks Fr-!”

“-but you are acting weird.” Franky gestured, tipping his mug slightly towards Luffy and offering the confused boy a reassuring look, ”Why was your hat under the blanket?”

“Because I set-”

“Yes, I know that. My question is,  _ why _ ?”

Luffy frowned slightly, his brows drawn together as he continued to stare at the cyborg. His right hand curled around his chin, the other cupping his elbow as his fingers stroked his skin idly. Usopp could see the gears turning in his head, almost expecting smoke to pillow out of his ears. Luffy glanced down at the table and nodded, “We  _ do  _ ask a lot of questions.”

_ What? _

“Luffy-Bro, what are you-”

“But we shouldn’t have to answer all of them.” Luffy met Franky’s questioning gaze with determination coiling in his irises, ”In fact, we should avoid them.”

“Avoid questions, you say.” Robin hummed, uncurling her fist slightly so that her fingers could gently tap against her cheek, ”That would be problematic.”

“What brought this on?” Franky asked, setting down his coffee and arching a brow.

Luffy smiled, ”That’s just it. We ask  _ too  _ many questions.”

“And you want us to...stop asking questions?”

“Yes.”

“ _ Why _ ?”

“Because I don’t want to answer them.”

“Then just say so, Bro! Don’t just ban questions for the rest of time like that.”

“Well, I don’t want to answer any of those either.”

“Yeah, well I don’t want an idiot for a captain.”

“Well, you knew he was an idiot before you joined. So,  _ technically,  _ you do.” Usopp earned a pointed glare from the shipwright, whose grip around the handle of his coffee mug tightened.

“Is this because of Lily?” Robin always knew how to silence a room. Usopp swallowed his tea, gaze floating from the arguing idiots to the creepy archeologist who seemed to be genuinely concerned regarding Luffy’s response. Zoro picked that moment to throw open the door, heavy boots stomping over towards the stool beside Luffy and settling himself between the thick atmosphere of the room. 

He set his swords aside and leaned back, arms crossed over his chest as he examined the four of them with a tired glare, ”So, what’s this about the witch?”

Sanji slammed his coffee onto the table top, glaring down at the thick headed swordsman with a sneer, ”Her name is  _ Lily,  _ shitty bastard _.” _

Zoro rolled his eyes and took a long sip of his hot coffee, his face scrunching together in obvious pain. Usopp let out a huff,  _ Dumbass.  _

“Usopp,” Usopp turned towards Sanji who met his curious gaze with a narrowed glare, ”Can you go get Chopper and the girls from the infirmary?”

Usopp frowned, ”Why are they in the infirmary?”

“Lily wasn’t feeling well.” Robin stated, smiling softly, ”Apparently she had slept here last night.”

“Really?” Franky asked, frowning slightly, ”Was there something wrong with the bed?”

Sanji refilled Franky’s mug and shook his head, ”She was adamantly clear that the bed was fine.” He placed it gently into the cyborg’s awaiting hand, sauntering back into the kitchen with the pot as he continued, ”But she didn’t seem well.”

“She’s fine.” Luffy stated, smiling wide and drumming his fingers in anticipation against the wood. Usopp gazed at the couch and frowned at the crumbled blanket hanging over the cushion. He remembered the way Luffy had stared at it, finding his hat under the blanket and smiling with relief as he sat down. The morning’s conversation came to his mind, recalling the almost distant way Luffy was with him. Almost as if something wasn’t right in his head. 

He pushed himself up, stool scraping against the deck as the sudden recollection hit him.  _ Something’s up with Lily.  _ He turned, walking out of the galley and following the railing as he strolled towards the infirmary feeling somewhat anxious. It’s not like he was worried over her. No, he was pretty sure she was fine over all. But Luffy was  _ definitely _ being affected by her. Which could mean trouble. 

As he approached the door, he could hear Nami’s voice growing louder. He could almost make out the words, his left hand curing around the door handle before it shot open, knocking into his face and sending him stumbling back into the railing. His arms were thrown over it, hands clutching the wood as he blinked through his blurry eyes and felt a blooming burning pain form along his nose. He could feel something warm trickle down from his nostrils, right hand wiping it shakily as his eyes caught the deep crimson color.  _ Shit. _

“Oh-oop!” Nami exclaimed, her hand falling from the handle as she walked towards Usopp with her heels clicking against the deck, ”I didn’t see you there, Usopp.”  _ Obviously. _

Usopp rightened himself, feeling slightly dizzy as blood continued to seep from his nostrils and stain his shirt,”.....’s fine, Nami. Sanji sent me. Breakfast.”

Nami nodded, placing her hand atop his bicep and drawing him close, “Oh, thank you for telling me. I have to go get Lily something fresh to wear. Could you stay with her until I get back?” Usopp nodded, blinking rapidly as Nami slowly led him into the infirmary. 

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Usopp glanced towards the bed, his eyes straining to make out Lily’s topless form.  _ Wait,  _ Usopp rubbed at his eyes and stared at her again, taking notice of the dress she had worn last night being pressed to her chest while Chopper had his stethoscope resting against her back.

Chopper glanced away from Lily, his eyes widening as he cried,”Usopp?! What happened?!” 

Nami walked him over to the swivel chair and he took a seat. She turned to Chopper and sighed, ”I hit him with the door when I left. Hopefully his nose isn’t broken.”

Chopper set his stethoscope aside and picked up a few rags from his cabinet. He placed them towards Usopp and said, ”Here, start cleaning up the blood while I access the damage.” He glanced over towards Nami and asked, ”Could you also get Usopp a new shirt?”

Nami nodded, shooting Usopp another apologetic look before exiting the infirmary. Usopp took the rags and began to wipe his chin and upper lip, sighing to himself as Chopper’s hooves began to press lightly into his skin, ”What does it feel like?”

“It’s burning. Doesn’t really  _ feel _ broken though.”

“Well it definitely is.” Chopper stated, frowning slightly, “It’s beginning to swell.”

_ Great.  _ He didn’t think going to the infirmary would result in leaving injured. Especially considering he had been fine minutes before in the galley. As Chopper helped him clean his face, which had thick rivers of blood flowing endlessly past his chin and down his neck, he met Lily’s concerned gaze and quirked a brow, ”You okay, Lily?”

Lily tipped her head, her grip on the dress tightening, ”You’re the one bleeding, not me.”

Which, yeah, he was but he was only in this mess to begin with because  _ she  _ wasn’t feeling well. So he frowned, feeling salty and said, ”Then why are you naked?”

“She isn’t naked.” Chopper said, leaving Usopp’s personal space briefly to gather bandages as well as medication, ”She just doesn’t have her dress on.”

“So….naked?”

“Well he was examining me..” Lily began, a light flush of pink spreading against her cheeks, ”So I had to take it off.”

“You can put it back on now if you want.” Chopper stated, placing a small white bottle into Usopp’s right hand and took one of the rags, pressing it into the blood flow.

“Uh...well…” Lily began, shifting along the bed uncomfortably.

Chopper glanced at her and then back to Usopp and nodded, ”Right, I forgot Usopp’s here now.”

“Nami said she was going to give me something else to wear, so I’m fine like this.” Lily stated, smiling reassuringly.

“Right, I remember that.” Chopper muttered to himself, focusing intently on Usopp’s nose.

“Huh, those are wicked scars.” Usopp said, eyes staring into Lily’s abdomen and tracing each claw like mark with growing interest, ”How did you get those?”

Lily glanced down and shrugged, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, ”Not sure. I woke up like this.”

“Woke up where?”

“In a tree.”

“A tree?”

“Yes.”

“You woke up…..in a tree?”

“..yes..”

“So does that make you’re a tree witch?”

“I...what?”

“Don’t witches wake up in their own environments? Like how fairies live in flowers?”

“Wait, fairies live in flowers?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you.”

“How would I know that?”

“Because you woke up in a tree!”

Usopp stared at her for a minute, swallowing down a painful bulging pain erupting from his face and squinted, ”That’s right. You’re not a witch. You’re not even green.”

“Well  _ you’re _ red. Does that mean you’re a tomato?”

“Tomatoes can’t talk.”

“Witches aren’t green.”

“You mean  _ you’re  _ not green.”

“What if I am a witch and I’m just fooling all of you?”

“By not looking green?”

“What is with you and the color green-?”

“Well if you  _ were  _ fooling us and just so happened to be a witch,” Usopp began, his eyes narrowing further as he sent Lily a chilling glare, ”You’d  **regret** not jumping off this ship and drowning in the sea when you had the chance.”

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“So…”

What was he supposed to say to this again? Was he supposed to say anything at all? Zoro swatted Luffy’s pawing hand away from his plate and narrowed his eyes onto the broken wreck otherwise considered Usopp. From what he could remember, Sanji had asked Usopp some time ago to go fetch the witches and Chopper. The sharpshooter took his sweet time doing so, leaving Zoro to grow rather irritated at Sanji’s snappy exterior towards Luffy’s impatience. He briefly caught Sanji’s peering gaze, his visible blue eye focused intently on him as he continued,”...Did you get mugged or something?”

Usopp paused, his fingers curling around the fork as he brought the piece of omelet he was about to consume back down to his plate. He was supporting two black eyes, each slightly uneven with the right a bit darker than the left. His nose was also wrapped up tightly, each nostril stuffed with padding. He frowned slightly, averting his gaze to the white porcelain plate and muttered,”...I wish..”

“Hm?” Nami hummed, glancing towards Usopp from the corner of her eye as she swallowed the piece of toast she’d been gnawing on. Her brown eyes were sharp on Usopp as she studied his face with an indifferent expression, ”Oh, I broke his nose.”

“Any reason why?” Franky had asked, brows knitted together as he placed his mug of coffee back onto the table.

Nami focused on her runny eggs and shrugged her shoulders. Zoro flicked his gaze between the two, noticing how Usopp kept his eyes down and frowned, ”Ok? What about the eyes?”

“There’s something wrong with his eyes?” Nami mused, lashes fluttering in that innocent way of hers as she took a languid sip of her coffee and met Zoro’s curious gaze with an icy glare.

Franky glanced towards Usopp with his head tilted slightly,”Usopp-Bro, you sure you weren’t attacked or something?”

“Oh, he wasn’t attacked.” Chopper clarified with an innocent smile he  _ definitely _ learned from the witch and munched onto a piece of toast smothered in strawberry jam.

Zoro took another bite of his bacon, stabbing Luffy’s hand with one of the spare forks Sanji supplies everyone and stared at Lily through the corner of his eye. She was taking small bites of her meal, her shoulders curled in with her left hand fisted into the hem of Nami’s old blue dress. Zoro wasn’t sure if the behavior was odd or expected. Well, it’s not like he cared. But Usopp coming back from the infirmary injured was unexpected. Not to mention how suspicious Chopper and Nami seemed to be about it. 

“Usopp, you’re all banged up!” Luffy said, smiling towards him and munching on a few sausage links. Zoro smirked to himself, covering it slightly with his mug as he watched his captain beam at Usopp and poke around his face.

Usopp glared towards him and swatted his finger away, ”I couldn’t tell.”

“Aren’t we salty?” Nami smirked, holding onto her mug with two hands and licking her lips- _ that can’t be good _ , ”Now that I think about it, I  _ do  _ remember what happened.” Usopp’s frown morphed into a mortified expression, his stare, now wide and desperate, shooting straight towards the witch.

“Oh? Then what did happen, Nami-swan?” Sanji questioned, taking a sip from a very tall blue mug with slight interest. 

“Chopper and I gifted him with those bruises.”

_ Gifted my ass- _

“Oh? How come?”

“Because they saw a spider on me-”

“He threatened Lily.” Chopper stated, sipping his tea slowly and letting out a satisfied sigh.

Zoro snorted, _ Oh, is that all? _

“YOU DID  _ WHAT _ ?!” Of course the cook was furious. He was staring menacingly towards Usopp, aura dark as he set his cup down.

“Look, I was delirious with pain-” Usopp had his hands up, his feet kicking the stool beneath him away from Sanji’s standing form.

“You were awake enough to complain about Lily being naked.”

“ _ WHAT?!” _

“Chopper  _ please  _ he’ll kill me-”

“Good.” 

“Oh my.”

“And you say you’re non-violent.”

“You saw Lily naked?” Luffy questioned, his attention shifting from Usopp’s pliant form hanging limply in Sanji’s grip and towards the awkward witch blushing slightly as she kept her gaze locked onto her plate.

“ _ That’s _ what you’re taking from this?”

“So did Chopper!”

“I’m a  _ doctor, _ bastard! I’ve seen all of you naked.”

“Ew.”

“Why would you even threaten Lily?” 

“Well-”

“You’re just pissy she isn’t green.”

“Chopper,  _ really _ -”

  
  
  


“ **_It’s fine!_ ** ” 

Zoro slowly blinked, his gaze falling to his left as he watched Lily stack her plate with her used silverware and smile at them like she had yesterday. It didn’t meet her gaze, he noticed as he swallowed another piece of toast. 

“I’m ok with him threatening me.”

Zoro narrowed his eyes, ”That’s some weird kink you’ve got there.”

“ _ Zoro!” _

_ What?  _ It was weird. He rolled his eyes and stuffed another piece of egg into his mouth.

“He _ shouldn’t _ be threatening you, Lily.” Sanji said, shooting Zoro a nasty glare before softening his features as he met Lily’s smile with concern. He kept his right fist held into a death-like grip around Usopp’s collar, holding the silent boy effortlessly like a rag doll.

“So he should be ignorant instead?”

Sanji’s eyes narrowed, lips parting slightly before thinning together as he frowned. Robin shut her book, the motion echoing slightly and drawing everyone’s attention to her piercing gaze, ”What is he ignorant of?”

Lily picked up her plate and slowly stood, stool skidding against the wood beneath her as she stalked off towards the kitchen and disposed of her dishes into the sink. Stepping from around the bar, Lily clasped her hands together and said, ”Look, Usopp didn’t do anything wrong. I’m a suspicious individual who just so happened to show up after your captain was taken and your ship was wrecked in a storm. I…” She averted her gaze to the floor and let out a dry laugh through her nose, ”I’d be  _ very  _ wary of myself right now.”

“Aren’t you already?” Zoro glanced at Robin who seemed to be enjoying every minute of Lily’s declaration. He huffed to himself,  _ fucking woman- _

“Robin, don’t ask questions!”

“Ok, Luffy-Bro, this isn’t about you-”

“Wait…” Nami began, glancing at Luffy with a quirked brow, ”Why can’t she ask any questions?”

Luffy beamed at her, smiling wide, ”Because I don’t want to answer them.”

“Again, it’s not about you-”

“But….she’s asking Lily...”

“Nami, it’s best not reason with an idiot-”

“ _ Anyways _ ,” Lily began, narrowing her eyes towards Luffy briefly before letting out a sigh, ”I think I might just lay down for a little bit. Ok?”

“But you slept fine on the couch.”

“And how would you know that, captain-san?”

“Yeah, and why the  _ fuck  _ was your hat under the blanket-”

“Nope.”

“What do you  _ mean  _ ‘nope’?”

“I DON’T WANNA ANSWER YOU, FRANKY!”

“OKAY WELL DON’T BE A DICK ABOUT IT!”

“So,” Lily muttered, gesturing towards the door and slowly inching herself towards it, ”I’ll just leave now.” Zoro watched as she slipped out of the galley, footsteps silenced between the roars Luffy and Franky shot at each other. 

Zoro let out a drawled sigh and winced at all the noise. His gaze fell to his plate, eyes narrowing onto several crumbs where his remaining toast should have been. He huffed, tilting his neck to the left until he could feel a harsh crack and threw a left hook towards Luffy, knuckles digging into rubbery skin. The sheer force of his punch sent the idiot through the floorboards and into the aquarium bar. Satisfied with himself, Zoro took one last swing of his coffee and ignored the glare Franky shot him. 

It wasn’t the worst way to start off a morning. 


	7. Chapter 6

_ ~Captain’s log 634, 10:09~ _

_ Today was the day for a meeting. Specifically the meeting-to-begin-the-real-meeting meeting. A confirmation, if you will. Today’s Topic: Lily.  _

“I don’t think we should let her go.” Franky stated, arms crossed over his chest,”She’ll die the minute she steps off this ship.”

_ Well, probably not that very moment- _

“We can’t force her to stay.” Nami pointed out, leaning against her propped fist and lazily meeting Franky’s gaze with a frown,”She’s been clear on her decision since yesterday.”

“It’ll change.” Luffy declared, smiling wide.

“It better..” Chopper muttered, glaring sharply towards their captain with a promising threat.

“When did you get so scary, Chopper?”

“I doubt she’ll die  _ that  _ quickly.” Zoro said, glancing at Franky from the corner of his eye as he let out a drawled yawn,”Maybe after an hour or so-”

Usopp winced, shivering slightly at the way the table creaked under the pressure of Zoro’s busted head. Sanji’s dress shoe left a large bump in its wake, lowering back to the floor as the blond set a cold glare onto Zoro’s groaning corpse,”She’s  _ not  _ going to die, shithead.”

“She’s a nice girl.” Robin mentioned, staring fondly towards the group and smiling softly,”She seems...lost though.”

“Well, she did lose her memory.” Chopper stated, letting out a sigh,”So she won’t really understand everything just yet. In fact, I’d say concepts such as certain behavioral patterns and phrasing will go right over her head.” 

“She seems to understand well enough.” Franky says, curling one hand around his chin and staring at the table, completely lost in thought.

“I wonder what her background is.” Robin questioned, setting her book aside and tipping her head slightly,”Her vernacular is _ astounding _ .”

“What I wanna know is how she got those scars.” Nami mentions, her gaze focused intently onto her left hand that lay flat against the table. Her fingers curled into a fist, knuckles turning noticeably white as she let out a shaky sigh,”Just  _ what  _ happened to her?”

Wasn’t that just the million belli question? Usopp leaned back, ignoring the throbbing way his nose swelled as he inhaled slowly and closed his eyes. He could remember them clearly. Three long claw-like marks cutting through her abdomen like wet sand. They were a different texture than the others he had noticed along her arms. He swallowed thickly, his right hand grasping his fresh shirt as his mind imagined the pain. Absentmindedly, he traced his fingers along his shirt, digging into the fabric until he could feel his uneven nails push into his skin. 

“..opp!”

_ What did this to you? _

“..Usopp!”

His eyes fluttered open, chest heaving on the exhale as he caught the concerned look Franky shot him from his right,”Huh?” Franky was staring at him like a parent would to their child, his left hand curling around his shoulder. Usopp glanced at it, brows knitting together,  _ When did he put that there? _

“You okay?”

Usopp frowned at Franky, eyes narrowing as his face scrunched together in confusion,”Uh? Besides getting my nose broken and then an additional beating?”

“Oh, get over it.”

Usopp squaked, staring incredulously at Nami’s frowning face,”What do you  _ mean  _ ‘get over it’?! It hasn’t even been thirty minutes!”

“You’re right. It  _ has  _ been too long. Shall I give you another?”

Usopp narrowed his eyes, pouting,”You are  _ evil. _ ”

“Call her that again and I’ll make sure you don’t wake up in thirty hours.”

“Okay, Sanji  _ really-” _

“Usopp, why don’t you go talk to her?” Luffy stated, smiling wide and reshifting his hat atop his head.

_ Wait, what?  _

Usopp glanced at Luffy with uncertainty,”Uh, why would I do that?”

“Because if you apologize, Nami, Chopper and Sanji won’t be mad at you anymore.”

“Oh, I’ll still be mad-”

“What do you say, Usopp?” Luffy asked, leaning towards Usopp with that weirdly stern look in his eyes. Usopp examined his captain once again, noticing his straight posture and squared shoulders. His smile seemed fixated into a small curl of his lips, eyes almost hidden completely in the shadows beneath his hat. 

_ Huh,  _ so he  _ was  _ mad after all. Usopp let out a sigh and stood, nodding slowly,”Sure, whatever.”

He probably deserved this.  _ Probably.  _ Lily wasn’t  _ that  _ bad. Even if she wasn’t a witch. She was odd, though. Also extremely awkward.  _ Ugh,  _ Usopp’s right hand curled into a fist, his knuckles brushing lightly against the wood of the girl’s cabin door as he glared over his shoulder towards the galley.  _ This was fucking stupid.  _ What was he even supposed to say to her? She was probably asleep, too.  _ Probably.  _

Usopp groaned internally and switched his gaze back onto the entrance, rasping his knuckles onto the frame and curling his left hand around the handle. He opened the door slowly and peeked his head in,”Uh...Lily?”

“Yes?”

Usopp stepped further into the room, the door shutting softly behind him as he met Lily’s curious eyes to his left. She was sitting on her new bed with her back propped against the wall. Her arms were wrapped around her raised knees, hugging them closely to her chest. She had her hair braided over her left shoulder, the curls slipping out and frizzing slightly. Usopp swallowed,  _ she definitely wasn’t asleep. _

“I thought you were resting.”

Her eyes grew wide then, arms falling to her sides as she averted her gaze and brushed a stray curl from her cheek,”Well...I  _ was... _ ”

_ Uh-huh _

“Did I wake you up?”

Her eyes met his, head shaking as she smiled softly,”Oh, no you didn’t!”

Usopp nodded slowly, scratching his head awkwardly and said,”Good…”

She pushed herself from the wall, her legs folding over the side of the bed as her hands laid flat against the mattress. Lily continued to smile at him kindly as if he were the nicest man alive,”Did you need to talk?”

“Uh, yeah..” Lily patted the spot to her left and scooched over. Usopp inhaled and made his way over, sitting beside Lily as he stared at his hands,”So about this morning.”

“It’s fine.” 

_ Well, if it was, I wouldn’t have to be here, _ “No, it’s not.”

“Usopp,” She said suddenly, voice so soft that Usopp nearly missed it. His eyes met hers, watching curiously as she continued,”I  _ understand. _ ”

_ Uh, no. I don’t think you do. _

“What do you mean by that?” His voice was just as soft, brows knitted together.

“Have you ever felt safe?” 

His eyes grew wide. Where did that come from? He blinked slowly, lips parting briefly before pursing together in thought. Does he feel safe? Well, aside from the imminent threats his crew has given him this morning, he definitely does. Nearly all the time. Except for certain islands and any moment he’s with Robin. She was such a _terrifying woman,_ “Yeah.”

“When that storm hit, did you feel safe then?”

He forgot to breathe, his face contorting into a slow recollection of horror as the haunting image of a dark wave curled into his sight. His right hand shifted up towards his shirt, grasping the fabric tightly over his heart as he let out a shaky breath and tried to calm the erratic pulse. He nearly forgot about the storm. Forgot about the way Sanji disappeared and Luffy hit the deck. How he  _ wasn’t getting up _ . How Zoro  _ left- _

His blurry gaze fixated onto his other hand, noticing how Lily grasped it gently, thumb stroking the skin in soothing circles. She was staring into him, he realized. Her blue gaze had gone past his eyes, searching through his entire  _ being  _ and offering reassurance. He swallowed, coughing slightly as she held onto his hand and said,”I  _ understand. _ ”

“I…” Usopp blinked through the water accumulating in his eyes, releasing his hold on his shirt and staring into Lily as best he could,” _ I’m sorry, Lily.” _

“Don’t be.”

“Lily-”

“I’m sorry for what happened.” She stated suddenly, gripping Usopp’s hand a little tighter,”If I could, I’d do everything in my power to help you feel  _ safe _ again.”

_ What did that mean?  _ His eyes narrowed, noticing the darker tint shimmering within her irises. Well that was new. Weren’t her eyes bright a second ago? Usopp shook his head, taking his hand away from Lily and standing abruptly, palm wiping away a few tears that slipped past his lashes,”Well, I better leave you to your nap.” Before she could respond, he made a run for it. He left the girls cabin in a rush, feeling his head spin slightly as he placed his hands against the railing and shut his eyes tightly.

_ Fuck. _

_ ~~In conclusion, the meeting-to-begin-all-meetings disbanded. Results are inconclusive. Until tomorrow.  _

_ The Great Captain Usopp signing off~~ _

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“What are you doing?”

Well he  _ was  _ napping. Or trying to at least. Surprisingly, his back was better suited to rest against the hard wooden mast than to curl over the bar counter, head buried in his arms. Zoro peered across his tan skin, left eye meeting Sanji’s cold glare as the slim cook leaned against the sink with his hands propped onto each hip,”What does it look like?”

Sanji’s swirly brow rose, “It  _ looks  _ like moss in my kitchen.  _ Get out!” _

“What did he say to you?”

Sanji huffed, “This again? What does it have to do with you bothering me like some  _ puppy-” _

Zoro’s head shifted so that his chin could rest against both arms, eyes staring blankly at Sanji’s growing irritation,”You got a problem with me being here, swirly cue?”  _ God,  _ why was it so swirly?  _ So fucking weird. _

“You really are looking for a fight.”

“No, I’m looking at a cook.”

“What the  _ fuck  _ is up with you?!”

Good question. Everyone has been having these  _ really  _ good questions recently. Zoro blinked, recalling the way Luffy had outright refused Franky’s question.  _ Huh,  _ were questions banned now? That’s so fucking strange. He focused back onto Sanji’s angry gaze, slightly humming as he recalled their current conversation. Was there something wrong with him? He was  _ tired.  _ But he couldn’t sleep.  _ Hasn’t _ slept.

“Y’know, It’s funny.” He begins, tipping his head to the side, ear brushing against his right arm as he stared at Sanji’s lanky form and blinked slowly,”I’m exhausted but I won’t sleep.”

Sanji’s frustration shifted, his pale blue eyes swimming in slight concern,”I don’t see what this has to do with me-”

“I can’t sleep because of  _ you _ .”

Sanji’s eye grew, his hands resting against the counter and curling tightly around the edge,”What?”

Zoro shifted again, eyes shutting briefly as he pressed his face into his arm and let out a sigh,”If I take my eyes off you, you’ll be gone again.” He inhaled, mind wandering back to the way the cook’s entire form was swallowed into dark starlight. His fists clenched together, knuckles now white with fury as he stated softly,”And Luffy will be dead, Robin soon following. Sunny wrecked on an island covered in endless fog-”

“I can take care of myself-”

Zoro’s head shot up, eyes swimming in anger as he glared towards Sanji and slammed his fist into the counter,”Then why did you fall like a  _ helpless  _ woman?! Why didn’t you fight back?”

Sanji met his sheer rage head on, leaning forward and crying out,”I did  _ not  _ fall to him-!”

“Then how did he take you?!” Zoro was standing now, his fists creaking against the wood as he searched through Sanji’s eye for something- _ anything, _ ”What did  _ he  _ say to you that took you off guard?! That kept you from helping the crew when the ship wrecked? That kept you from making sure Robin didn’t suffer the same fate-”

“I get that you’re angry Zoro. I’m angry at myself-” Sanji stated, voice horse from the yelling as he placed his hand against his chest and snarled,”But there was  _ nothing  _ I could do! He got the jump on me. That’s it!”

They were both breathing heavily, staring down at each other as the galley settled into a tense silence. Zoro could feel the muscles in his arms flex, nostrils flaring as he said,”That’s not good enough.”

Sanji let his hands fall to his side, his face molding into indifference,”That’s all there is to it. I  _ fucked  _ up. Deal. With. It.”

Zoro pushed himself away from the bar, his right hand clutching his swords and wrapping them around his frame. He shook his head, giving one remaining hard glare,”I thought I could count on you.” His eyes narrowed, lips quirking up slightly into a ghost of a smile,”Guess I was wrong.” He turned on his heel, sauntering out of the galley and slamming the door shut behind him. Zoro let out another sigh, shoulders tense and neck aching from the awkward angle his right arm had produced. 

He rolled his shoulders, hand curling around his neck as he descended the staircase and flopped against the grass, limbs stretched wide against the soft surface. The clouds were pillowing across the sky, overcasting the morning sun’s bright light with grey fog. Zoro’s eyes narrowed, elbows propping him forward as he watched as the sun was blotted out completely, the sky fading into a dark grey.  _ That can’t be good. _

He jumped to his feet, his weight shifting back as a cool breeze tousled through his earrings and tugged him forward. His left hand went to Wado, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the deck slowly. His brows narrowed as he noticed Lily’s forming standing by the railing, her dress fluttering within the wind. He shifted into a straighter stance, steps approaching the smaller girl silently as he examined her outward appearance.  _ She wasn’t injured,  _ from what he could see at least. Which was good.  _ Possibly.  _ He caught a glimpse of her face, skin seeming a bit paler than it was before and felt his breath catch in his throat when he noticed her eyes.

They were  _ crimson.  _

“Oi…” He started softly, feeling uneasy as she continued to stare out towards the sea, seemingly unfazed by his presence,”...Hey, witc-er, uh….Lily?” 

She remained still, eyes half lidded and clouded in thought. Zoro slowly uncurled his fingers from his blade, hand reaching out towards her as he questioned,”Can you hear me? I’m talking-”

Her legs gave out, eyes shutting completely as her knees fell into the ground with a _ thud.  _ Zoro managed to catch her torso, arm wrapped around her ribs and gently set her on the ground,”Oi! What’s happening?! Lily!” He had both hands gripping her shoulders hard, shaking her limp body as he glanced around them cautiously.  _ What just happened? _

There was no one. In fact, the dark grey fog had all but disappeared, the bright yellow rays of the sun warming his skin and shadowing his terrified gaze. He found himself staring in horror down at her thin frame, waiting with baited breath for her chest to rise. When it finally did, her lips parted so she could inhale sharply and make a strained cry. Zoro swept his left arm beneath her knees and lifted her up with ease, his eyes shooting upwards towards the deck as he sprinted towards the steps with a horrified cry,

”CHOPPER! GET OUT HERE  **NOW** !”

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_ “What if we play a game?” _

_ The roses were in full bloom that day. The petals sparkling in the gentle kisses the sunlight offered. It was cool outside, a small breeze whisking through her small fingers as she held out her hand, smiling wide with cherry lips. _

_ “I promise to never let go of your hand!” _

Lily inhaled sharply, eyes fluttering open as she focused her blurry gaze onto a familiar textured ceiling. She swallowed thickly, her head pounding slightly as the well lit room formed around her. Her fingers twitched against soft sheets, head rolling against a fluffy pillow. Lily exhaled softly through her nose, lips parting as she mused quietly,”Am I dead?”

“Not yet.”

“Robin!  _ Seriously _ !”

Lily gasped, her body arching forward as she grasped the sheets beneath her and stared with wide eyes towards what appeared to be the entire crew cramped inside the infirmary. She scooched back against the mattress, her right hand clutching her chest as she questioned rapidly,”Where am I? Why are you all here? What happened to the room-”

A small hoof sat against her right thigh, drawing her attention downward to the seemingly concerned reindeer,”You’re in the infirmary, Lily.”

_ Infirmary?  _ She licked her lips, brows knitting together as she frowned,”I..I thought I was okay? Didn’t we already do this?” She whipped her head towards the others, feeling slightly exposed on the bed as they continued to stare at her with worried expressions.

“This isn’t about your check up.” Chopper stated, patting her thigh gently before padding his way back to his swivel chair. He climbed into it and pushed himself towards her, wheels squeaking beneath his weight as he rolled by her side and took her right hand into his. He placed his hoof against her pulse, eyes focused intently onto her wrist as he said,”You collapsed out onto the lawn deck an hour ago.”

_ I did what?!  _ Lily snatched her arm out of Chopper’s hold, gaining a rather sharp glare from the physician as she held onto her head and let out a shaky sigh,”That doesn’t make sense. I was  _ just _ sleeping…”

“Perhaps you occasionally sleep walk.” Lily’s gaze met Robin’s piercing gaze, a shiver flowing down her shoulders as the older woman examined her with a slow sweep of intense blue eyes,”But, I suppose that doesn’t explain why you weren’t breathing.”

Lily’s mouth fell open, “...w-what?”

“Are you actually not okay?” Lily jumped, blinking furiously as Luffy’s curious eyes appeared right before her, head in her space and taking all of her air.

“Luffy, give her space!” Chopper demanded, kicking Luffy aside and muttering under his breath.

“You were fine this morning….” The young captain said with a pout. Lily couldn’t agree more, her gaze falling back to her hands which now laid limply in her lap. 

“How did you even know that Luffy?”

“Huh?”

Lily shut her eyes and focused intently on calming her racing heart. So she collapsed an hour ago on the deck? The deck is a lawn and her dream did have roses in it.  _ Maybe I did sleepwalk.  _ But that  _ doesn’t  _ explain why she wasn’t breathing. Especially considering how well she felt now. Aside from the slight headache, Lily felt her arms grow tense, the arguing crew becoming slightly irritating and overwhelming. She  _ needed _ to leave the infirmary. 

“So...Franky..” Lily started, voice firm as her eyes fluttered open and locked onto the confused cyborg,”I was wondering if you could show me around the ship.”

Franky’s brows knitted together, his mouth parting slightly as he asked hesitantly,”...Now? You wanna do that _ now _ ?”

“No!” Chopper cried, narrowing his eyes on Lily and casting a glare towards Franky,”You are  _ not  _ well-”

Lily jumped to her feet from the mattress and cracked her neck. She propped her hands a top her hips in a proud stance and smiled big towards the surprised doctor,”I’m  _ feeling  _ great! I’m honestly excited to see the rest of the ship.”

“You’re touring her around Sunny?” Luffy asked suddenly, beaming towards his shipwright in curiosity,”Alright! Franky gets a point!”

“A point?”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Luffy?”

“Is this about the meeting?”

Lily blinked slowly, gaze following the traveling questions from person to person until she settled onto the excited captain with a frown,”Meeting?”

Luffy grinned at her,”Yeah! Everyone agrees with me that you should join!”

“I didn’t.” Zoro stated gruffly, rolling his eyes and leaning his frame against the wall. Several members turned and shot him a glare while Lily offered him a smile,”Awesome.”

“What  _ do  _ you mean ‘awesome’?!”

“You really are a weird,  _ weird  _ idiot.”

“Nami, she wasn’t breathing an hour ago. Can you not insult her like that?”

Lily shrugged, grinning slightly,”Insult all you want.”

Zoro narrowed his eyes on her and muttered,”So  _ fucking  _ weir-”

“Right, you  **weren’t** breathing!” Chopper stated, throwing his arms up in exasperation as he stared incredulously at Lily with horror,”Meaning you  _ need  _ to rest. My god, we don’t even know why you f-”

“Well, I’m fine.”

Chopper’s narrowed eyes sharpened into a glare,” _ Lily- _ ”

Lily walked around Nami and Sanji, her eyes focused intently on Franky’s concerned gaze as she settled her hand onto his arms and batted her lashes,”I  _ really  _ want to tour your ship.”

Franky licked his lips, eyes darting between Lily’s gentle stare and the deadly threat emanating from Chopper’s body,”.. _ Well- _ ”

“It’s actually  _ my  _ ship-”

“It’s not about  _ you,  _ Luffy.”

Franky rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand and let out a sigh, eyes averting to the wall behind Luffy’s pouting form,”I... _ guess  _ if you’re fine and all-”

“Which I am-”

“You  _ weren’t  _ **BREATHING!** ”

“But she is now.”

“She  _ seems  _ to be.”

The grip on Franky’s arm was gentle but firm, her hands rising higher along his metallic skin and curling around his elbow,”Shall we?”

Franky met her small smile with a defeated look and nodded, body turning and arm guiding her out of the crowded infirmary and into the afternoon sun.

  
  
  
  
  


Nami frowned, hip jutting out for her right hand to rest against it, “Well, that was….”

“Eventful?” Sanji offered, hands in the pockets of his slacks and gaze still fixed intently onto the door.

“I told you she was okay!” He switched his focus to glare pointedly at his smiling captain, lips curling into a frown,”We wouldn’t be here if she was okay,  _ dumbass _ .”

“Well, he has a point.” Robin mentioned, arms folded tightly beneath her chest and smile curling into that primal nature of hers,”She was  _ quite _ energetic. Bounced to her feet and showed enthusiasm.”

“She  _ wasn’t  _ okay.” Zoro stated, heavy steps creaking into the wood as he strolled towards the door, pushing it out and pausing briefly in the doorway with his right hand curling around the wood,”Franky was wrong about it all. Not sure she’ll live long enough to  **leave** .” With that bitter statement, he left them to watch as the sun trickled into the room and completely disappeared behind the door’s frame. 

Sanji shut his eye gently before readjusting his stance and gazing lazily towards his indifferent captain,”Still think she’s good?”

Luffy glanced at him and smiled with that determined look in his eyes,”She’ll live. She’s gonna be a part of my crew after all. And when I win, I expect a feast.”

Sanji found himself genuinely smiling for the first time since his return, the weight on his shoulders lifting just enough for him to nod in agreement,”Then go out there and  _ win. _ ”

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Franky pressed his temple into the door frame, eyes watching lazily as Lily stepped slowly into the aquarium bar with her lips parted in awe,”...what is this room?” Her voice was soft, face turned away from his line of sight as she stepped forward and gently traced the table’s outer coating.

Franky had his arms crossed over his chest, right shoulder embedded into wood as he traced the perimeter of the room with a slight smirk curling along his lips,”This is the Aquarium Bar. It’s a place where we can eat and enjoy the fish Usopp and Luffy catch in the tank before Sanji serves them up for dinner.” It was his  _ favorite  _ room in the entire ship. One of the very few that he enjoyed taking his time on. He remembered every scrap, push and nail he put into this room and let out a sigh.

Currently, the tank was empty due to the storm’s damage. Thankfully the glass wasn’t ruined unlike the wood and is still sturdy enough to carry the gallons of water needed for the Grand Line’s wide array of fish. He should remind Luffy and Usopp to go fishing soon, considering how the rations for the stored meat have dwindled since everything happened. His muscles flexed at the memory, eyes gently casting into a dark image. The sky a deep inky blue, water like sand against the parts of him that remained human skin as everything stopped short and his lungs dwindled into a thin piece of wood.

“This is  _ gorgeous. _ ” Lily stated, catching Franky’s attention as she spun on her heel and stared at him with what appeared to be admiration,”You’re  _ incredible.  _ I can’t believe you built this!”

He smirked, pushing himself away from the door and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly,”Well,  _ yeah,  _ I am. I made this beauty from Adam’s wood. This  _ is  _ the Pirate King’s ship.”

Lily grinned at him, nodding,”It’s like a dream, honestly.”

Franky bit his lip, trying to keep himself from grinning too wide,”Yeah, it really is.”

“Is that why you joined?” Lily asked, smile small and eyes hesitantly searching his.

Franky tipped his head, right brow raised in curiosity,”To...what?”

“Luffy,” She said, her small smile curling just a bit,”Being the King, that is.”

“Oh well, yeah. It was  _ mostly  _ to be on my dream ship and all.”

Lily’s brows knitted together,”Why wouldn’t you? It’s  _ your  _ ship.”

“No, this is Luffy’s. The Thousand Sunny was  _ made  _ for him and this crew.” Franky said, smiling fondly at the memory,”I just happened to be the lucky bastard who built it.”

“As well as a very  _ important  _ member of his crew.” Franky stared at her knowing smirk and let out a dry laugh.  _ Well she isn’t wrong about that.  _

He placed his hands on his hips and decided to allow Lily to see his charming wide grin,”And you will be too!”

Lily rolled her eyes fondly, head shaking slightly,”I wouldn’t get your hopes up-”

“It’s not  _ just  _ hope,” Lily stared at him with a quirked brow as he sniggered and cheered,”It’s determination! After all, we have seven days to get you to say yes.”

“Actually it’s more like six and a half-”

“It’s SUPER Lily-Sis, just you wait!”

Lily let out a dry laugh through her nose, her right hand searching blindly behind her until it clamped against the table, allowing her to lean against it and sigh,”I look forward to it.” She offered another small smile, her arm shaking beneath her weight as she noticeably swallowed and blinked rapidly.

Franky stepped forward cautiously, his smile falling into a frown as he held out his arms and asked,”Are you okay? Do you need help?”

Lily shook her head, holding up her left hand and breathed heavily,”I just...need to adjust.”

Franky’s eyes narrowed,”Chopper was right. We shouldn’t have left the infirmary-”

“No!” Lily cried, horror feathering over her features as she desperately stared into his concerned gaze,”I’m…..I don’t wanna be in there.  _ Please-” _

“Okay,” Franky said softly, grasping Lily’s hands gently and leading her over towards the booth,”Let’s at least sit down.” Lily nodded, resting against the red cushion and gripping Franky’s fingers briefly before retracting her limps and placing them into her lap.

Franky took a spot beside her, choosing to walk around the table instead of nudging himself in front of her and offered her a reassuring smile,”I won’t take you anywhere you don’t want to go. I promise.”

Lily let out a huff and closed her eyes,”You shouldn’t make promises so lightly.”

Franky inhaled, unsure how to respond to that and continued offering support,”I’m just trying to comfort-”

“I  _ know. _ ” Her head fell into her hands, bangs shadowing her fingertips as her shoulders tensed,”I’m sorry. I’m just…. _ tired. _ ”

“Well, if you want, I can take you to the girl’s cabin.”

“You shouldn’t do that.”

“Why?” Was it the bed? Was it really not okay?

Lily lifted her head from her palms, eyes now glassy as she stared at him with a small smile,”It’s pointless. I doubt I’ll end up there anyways when I wake up.”

_ Well, fuck.  _ He was  _ really  _ out of his element with all of this. What could he even offer towards that? Hell, he doesn’t know why she’s appearing everywhere that  _ isn’t  _ her bed. Not to mention what’s probably going on inside her head since she last appeared in the infirmary. He let out a sigh and frowned, “Then….what  _ can  _ I do?”

Lily stared at him for a moment, looking lost and stunned,”...Why do you even want to help?”

Franky’s brows scrunched together, gaze narrowing,”Because you’re not well?” That answer didn’t seem to reassure her. Franky internalized a groan, loathing how out of touch he was with women. 

“I’m...there’s no reason to help a stranger like this. You’ve... _ everyone _ has done more than enough already-”

“Why are you so hell bent on leaving?” Franky questioned suddenly, his eyes widening slightly at how tactless he just was

Lily blinked,”I have to go-”

“Go where?”

“I can’t be here-”

“Yes you  _ can _ , you already have a bed-”

“Which you shouldn’t have made-”

“So it was terrible?”

“No! It’s _ perfect _ -”

“There ya go, then.”

“This isn’t how it works.”

“How ‘what’ works?” 

Lily averted her gaze to her arms, drawing Franky’s curiosity as she placed her right thumb against a small incision along her wrists,”Who knows how  _ it  _ really works? Can’t say I have any idea myself.”

“Well, if you’d like, I can help you figure it out.” Franky offered, capturing Lily’s confused expression and feeling slightly awkward,”Or all of us could? Anything can happen in seven days-”

“Six and a half-”

“ _ So,  _ we should be able to help.” He finished with a determined grin. 

Lily’s lips pursed together in thought, her eyes glazing over as they continued to pierce through Franky’s entire being. He felt slightly exposed, rubbing his neck again and feeling the hairs on his skin rise. It was almost the same chilling feeling he got from Robin the first few times they met. It was  _ definitely  _ manly to admit when a woman scared you. They are often  _ terrifying.  _ He didn’t expect Lily to fit the bill either. Or the situation.

Her eyes sparked then, lips curling into a bright smile as she said,”So, if you’re helping me then you won’t be distracted with convincing me to stay!”

Franky frowned and tipped his head, not following anything this younger girl was saying,”Wait, what-”

Lily stood up straight and clearly better than before. She had her hands set proudly on each hip and continued smiling like she had discovered a loophole in Luffy’s desire for her to be a part of his life. Speaking of which, now that he actually thought about it, the stupid idiot was acting strange. Seemed to be less of an immature ass and instead chose to be a determined idiot who's only focus was this random girl.  _ Huh,  _ could it be love? Does Luffy actually  _ do  _ love? Or is it something else? 

“Go ahead and help all you want! I’d rather have that and win this bet.”

Franky smirked then and shook his head,”You’re not going to win this. Trust me sis.”

Lily ignored his statement, choosing to strut over to the exit and turn slightly so she could flash Franky one last smile before heading up to the deck,”Just worry about helping me, Franky….bro!”

Franky felt his entire face flush, his smile going ear to ear as he watched the hatch to the galley shut softly. He found himself laughing at one point, shaking his head and staring into the empty tank with a fond expression.  _ He better win. _

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

**_“So you’re a cook now, huh?”_ **

The blade dragged sharply against the wood, leaving a deep incision into the new cutting board Franky had  _ just  _ made from a broken piece of the deck found in the wreck. Sanji’s knuckles were white around the handle, right cheek bleeding between his clenched teeth as he sucked in a deep breath and swallowed thickly. His cheek was definitely going to scar, the gum itching with hot liquid fire as he scratched it absentmindedly and watched as dust shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. The counters around him were a  _ mess  _ and surprisingly that hadn’t fazed him at all. It was the blood in his mouth, the fire on his tongue and the blade he had dropped gripped so tightly in his hand that he almost assumed it would absorb into his skin. 

**_“Then why did you fall like a_ ** **helpless** **_woman?”_ **

He didn’t recognize the movement, his right arm now flexing at an odd angle as his left hand continued to scratch deeper into his cheek. His vision was glassy, heart hammering against his ribcage as he sucked in a chaste breath and felt something fall within the pit of his stomach.  _ Helpless?  _ Was that it? Sanji’s shoulders tensed at the silence, his eye noticing his kitchen knife plunged deeper into the wood and forming a duvet. He let out a sigh, feeling his temples throb at the mere thought of asking Franky for another cutting board. He relaxed his fingers, his arm slightly shaking from the loose hold and causing him to glance at the sudden movement with a slow raise of his brow. He blinked, drawing his left hand from his cheek and gently cupping it around his shaking arm, firmly holding it in place. 

“Sanji?” He nearly jumped through his skin, his right eye wide with surprise as his head spun towards the entrance to the galley and landed on Lily’s curious face. Sanji almost forgot to breath, mouth slightly parted in awe as he watched the smaller girl walk closer to him and lean over the bar, arms folded against the counter,”Is your arm okay?”

He inhaled and released both the knife and his arm, his eyes blinking away the remainder of his surprise and replacing his frown with a charming grin,”Why, if it isn’t the  _ gorgeous  _ Lily-chan! How are you feeling, mellorine?”

Lily had that adorable lost look in her eyes that made Sanji swoon, her pale lips thinning together before curling into a beautiful smile,”I’m alright. What about you?”

What  _ about  _ him? Nothing mattered unless it was Lily. Sanji stalked towards the bar, resting his right hand against the counter and gazing down at Lily’s pretty eyes with adoration in his,”I’m always okay when I’m around you.”

Pink peppered over her cheeks, her eyelashes fluttering as she averted her gaze behind her hand and stuttered, ”U-um...thanks?” She glanced back at him hesitantly through her parted fingers and said,”I’m sure my mere presence can’t fix your arm.”

Why was she talking about his arm? Was there something wrong with it? Sanji blinked, glancing at his right arm that she gazed narrowly towards and laughed hesitantly,”Uh..huh well, there’s nothing wrong with it-”

“Could I take a look?” Her hand shot out, fingers almost brushing his exposed skin beneath the rolled sleeves. Sanji swallowed, barely meeting her gaze before nodding silently, sucking in his breath as her delicate fingers traced his skin. Her hand is  _ freezing _ . Which was definitely something worth noting to Chopper later on. He could still recall her limp body on that bed, blood pressure dropping and skin so pale beneath Chopper’s head lamp-

“Why were you holding it?”

Sanji blinked,”Hm? Oh, I was just making sure it was….my arm.” He really was a fucking  _ dumbass. _

Lily gave him a look that seemed to agree with that thought, her brows pinched together as she licked her lips,”Why wouldn’t it be yours?”

Well, if he was going to be a dumbass-,”You’d be surprised.”

She blinked, frowning slightly,”Well, I’m not.”

_ What? _

Her eyes grew slightly, hand drawing away from his arms as she said quickly,”I mean,  _ wow,  _ really?”

Sanji frowned slightly,”You don’t have to act surprised.”

“But I am!”

“Forgive me, but you’d have to put up a better act than that.”

“Well, I could say the same for you.”

_ Touche. _

Lily’s smile returned then, hands folding together with her fingers halfway interlocked,”If you’d like, I could help you.”

Sanji shook his head, smiling widely as he said,”How generous of you, Lily-chan; but, I could not allow such delicate hands to touch sharp blades.” 

Lily quirked a brow then, offering her hands to Sanji with her palms facing him,”You mean  _ these  _ hands?” Sanji glanced down at them and noticed white nicks and long scraps forming along her fingers and crossing paths within her palms. He swallowed, taking both into his hands and narrowing his gaze into the deep scars along her wrists. They were almost invisible compared to the others with a bruising outline taking shape around them. The cuts themselves were messy, unlike that of a blade or a knife. It was as if something sliced into her with jagged edges.

“Ugly, aren’t they?” This draws his attention, his eye swimming in hers as she smiled in that kind way she offered once before. 

Sanji stared into her glazed over eyes with a fire burning inside his,”Lily, there is no part of you that is anything other than breathtaking.”

She remained unfazed by this declaration, choosing to instead roll her wrists out of his hold and wrap her slim fingers around his hands,”Well, I could say the same of you as well.” Sanji flushed, feeling hotter than ever before in his dress shirt. She smirked at that,”That is, if any limb attached to us is our own. Right?”

Sanji tried to swallow his racing heart beat, his lips quivering slightly as he let out a shaky laugh,”..Y-yeah.”  _ Fucking dumbass. _

Lily glanced down at his hands, her gentle hold shifting with her fingers as she studied his smooth skin and smiled,”Your hands are just as delicate. They’re also soft and-” Her eyes focused intently onto his right pinky, eyes narrowed slightly at the juncture between the bone and his palm. Sanji blinked, watching her trace the area softly, her thumb rubbing against it as if there was something there. He glanced at her and lifted his brow,”Lily-chan? Is there something wrong?”

“Hm?” Lily blinked, continuing to stare curiously at his skin and let out an odd chirp,”Huh, I thought I saw something.” She let go of his hands then and rubbed at her eyes,”Guess I need sleep.”

“I’m sure Chopper would let you sleep in the-”

“No!” Lily stated hurriedly, shaking her head once and offering a very forced smile,”I  _ really  _ like the bed Franky offered me. So, I’ll just go there.”

Sanji searched her distant expression and offered a reassuring smile,”Okay, no worries. If you need anything, I’ll always be here for you.”

Lily stared at his right hand again and then drifted her gaze to her own. She studied them with a daze expression, her braid unraveling slightly around her shoulder as she caught his curious stare with that forced smile of hers,”And I will be here too. To  _ help. _ ” With that said, Lily turned on her heel and swiftly walked out of the galley.

Sanji waved at her retreating figure, watching distantly as the door gently shut and left him to dwell within the kitchen’s silence once again. He found himself staring at his hand, his pinky curled slightly and feeling electrified. He shook off the energy and turned back to his ruined cutting board. He grumbled to himself and managed to sheath the knife from the wood.

_ Such a fucking dumbass. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long. Life's been something else. I will still continue to try to update normally. Let me know what you think of everything so far, I'd love to hear it! See you next time. ^.^


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm thrilled to actually post on time for a change! Kind of. Sort of. Anyhow, I wanted to give everyone a heads up that this chapter will mention poker and there will be a section where it is played. I wanted to make sure everyone was fully aware of this fact before diving in. The poker scene takes place after the first break and does not continue after the second. Despite this, I hope everyone enjoys the seventh chapter!

“Alright!” Nami half whispered, tongue wetting her lips nervously as she kept her back aligned with the wall behind her, right ear pressed against the wooden slants and listening closely for heavy breathing. She had her left hand arched, fingers stretched wide as she held her breath and counted to sixty. The wind whisked across her face, dawn becoming more imminent by the passing second as the Thousand Sunny fell into complete silence. 

“Nami-” Her eyes flicked towards her captain, sharpening into a cold glare as she scorned,”Luffy!” Despite the hushed tone, her rage became unnerving to the obviously tired teenage boy as he adjusted his voice and rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin,”Ghihi, sorry Nami.”

“Is she asleep yet, Nami?” Usopp questioned nervously, his complexion shimmering beneath the starlight as sweat began to pursperate his temples. He had his own ear resting against the wall to her right, eyes glancing briefly towards the navigator in question before returning towards the girl’s cabin.

Nami scoffed,”Not if you idiots keep talking beside the damn door!” Nami walked away from the door, signalling for the rest of the crew to follow her silently down the steps and gather together onto the lawn deck.

As everyone settled onto the soft grass, the eight pirates proceeded to sit at once, choosing slightly different positions around Nami as she brushed a stray curl over her shoulder and smiled,”Alright, we have six days left to convince Lily to stay with us.” Her eyes immediately went to Sanji who had taken a seat to her left and had a love struck gaze firmly locked onto her smaller frame,”Sanji-kun, what do you suggest we do?”

“You’re asking the cook...” Zoro asked incredulously, eyes narrowed as he continued to unwrap his katanas from his abdomen,”..to keep a woman? Idiot can’t even keep his swirls in check.”

Sanji shot a pointed glare towards Zoro and snarled softly,”What the fuck do you mean ‘swirls’, shit head?!”

Zoro stared at him with slight disinterest, hands folding against his arms as he crossed them over his chest,”You go all pathetic and swirly around vagina like Luffy when he sees meat.”

Sanji gripped the strands of grass within his clenched fists, left leg shifted upright as he glared coldly,”At least I’m not a dumbass lawn who needs someone to hold his hand or he’ll get lost-”

“Guys!” Nami huffed, sending each imbecile her best murderous scowl as she shifted her gaze between the two,”Wake up Lily and I’ll strand you both on the next island for ten years.”

“What, Nami you can’t do that!” Luffy stated, frowning slightly,”I’ll go hungry!”

“Oh, so Zoro’s fine to go then? I’m cool with that.” Sanji shrugged, lips quirking into a smug grin.

“Fuck you, curly cue!”

“Get bent, Moss Head. You’re just mad Luffy needs me more.”

“Oh, I’m sure. Without me, who’s he going to count on? **_You_ **?”

“ **Zoro!** ” Nami scolded, bashing the swordsman’s head with the bruised knuckles of her right hand. She rubbed them gently, shaking off the overall ache of the thick skulled idiot and sighing in contempt as he groaned into his hands. She glanced around the group, shifting her legs to the side as she tried to swallow a scream. _Who knew screaming was relieving?_

“You two can settle whatever bullshit later. _This_ is about Lily.”

“Nami’s right! You get a point.” Nami shot her captain a perplexed glare, feeling her left eye twitch slightly in annoyance.

Franky turned to Luffy, seeming just as confused and annoyed,”What do you even mean? The hell are ‘points’?”

“Oh?” Luffy smiled wide,”It’s a contest for whoever convinces Lily to stay with us.”

“That’s all of us, Luffy.” Usopp mentioned, restraining a yawn from behind his hand as he sighed,”Wouldn’t all of us win anyways? What’s even the prize?”

“A new Nakama, _duh_!”

“Well, _yeah_.”

“ _Anyways,_ ” Nami continued, voice slightly higher to catch her crew’s attention,”We need ideas. Showing her around the ship isn’t enough. She needs a purpose.”

“What do you mean?” Sanji questioned, hands uncurling from the soft strands so that his left arm could rest against his knee. 

“She’s lost, remember?” Nami said, swallowing down a yawn as she blinked away her creeping exhaustion,”She just needs a place to call home.”

“Are we sure Sunny is it, though?” Usopp questioned, gripping his knees as he leaned forwards,”She looked _terrified_ in the infirmary.”

“She was definitely fi-”

“Luffy, she wasn’t.” Zoro stated firmly, side eyeing the smaller boy to his right,”Woman collapsed in front of me and _died._ ”

“Yeah, but she _was_ okay when she woke up!” Luffy argued,”She wanted to explore the Sunny with Franky and-”

“Actually…” Nami glanced towards the shipwright who had his fingers loosley intertwined in his lap, back arched over as he stared into the strands of grass with a grim expression,”She wasn’t. We were in the aquarium bar and...I don’t know…” He let out a sigh and shook his head, hands going to his face and slowly dragging his skin down,”Suddenly she _wasn’t._ And when I suggested going to go see Chopper, she freaked out.”

“Huh,” Usopp stated, left hand curling around his chin as he nodded,”So even she finds Chopper scary.”

Chopper seethed towards Usopp,”Say that again, Bastard!”

“No,” Sanji mentioned, glancing towards Franky with a mutual look of concern,”When she came into the galley, she was definitely off. When I mentioned Chopper, she wouldn’t even let me finish. Told me she was going to sleep everything off.”

“So it _is_ Chopper.”

“No it **isn’t!** ”

“Perhaps we mustn’t out right assume anything negative towards doctor-san,” Robin mused, hand gently perched beneath her chin as she gently rasped her fingertips against her right cheek, ”Swordsman-san,” Zoro glanced towards her and nodded, ”You mentioned how she seemed to have perished. What exactly happened?”

Zoro’s eyes sharpened as he stated, ”She was staring out into the sea and had red eyes.”

“Red?” Robin questioned, frowning slightly as she sat straighter, fingers falling from her cheek as her arm laid limply against her knee. 

“But she has blue eyes.” Luffy stated, frowning slightly as he tipped his head, ”Are you sure you aren’t just dumb?”

“So _now_ you recognize eye color?”

“Y’know Sanji’s _and_ Robin’s eyes are also blue.”

“Yeah, but not like Lily’s.”

“I’m going to have to agree with him on that.” Usopp stated grimly, shaking his head, ”They are... _terrifyingly_ blue. Also, I thought they were brighter but it turns out they are a really dark blue.”

“Usopp, they’re baby blue. What the fuc-”

“No, I swear to you they’re so _fucking_ dark-”

“Like you can see with those bruises.”

“ _You_ gave them to me, Chopper!”

“So did Nami! And you deserved them!”

“And you’re a reindeer! Aren’t you color blind?!”

“Okay, Usopp-Bro-”

“ **Guys!** ” Nami stated sharply, voice deep and terrifying as the group settled into a tense silence, attention set firmly on Nami’s frustrated form, ”It’s almost morning and we have six _fucking_ days to convince a blue eyed girl to stay with us-”

“Dark blue-”

“Usopp, I will _stab_ you-”

“ **And** so far all anyone has done is argue about stupid unrelated shit! Now get it together or so help me Lily, Robin and I will be the only three left on this ship by tomorrow.”

“We could bribe her.”

“With what?!”

Nami fixated her glare onto Zoro who rolled his eyes, ”If you even **dare** take-”

“Well, we don’t have any booze so-”

“So you assumed a young woman who has amnesia traveling alongside a group of pirates with several injuries and probably immense trauma will just decide to join us because of alcohol?” 

“I mean-”

“We could offer food?” Luffy suggested.

“We already give her food, dumbass!” 

“We could offer better food-”

“I _fucking_ **_dare_ ** you to finish that, shitty mar- _”_

“Franky already made her a bed.”

“Yeah, but…”

Franky glanced at Usopp with his brows narrowed, ”What’s wrong with my bed?”

Usopp held up in his hands in defense and smiled hesitantly, ”N-nothing! It’s one of your _best_!”

Franky grinned, curling his right hand around his chin with a smug expression folding over his features, ”It is pretty _super_ -”

“What we have to do,” Chopper stated abruptly, staring intensely into the lawn with his hooves folded beneath his chin, ”Is form a connection with her. Right now, she has _nothing;_ which is most likely the reason she is so adamant on leaving.”

“So form a bond?” Robin questioned, smiling softly, ”Why, I believe our dear captain-san already has.”

“Hm?” Luffy hummed, turning towards Robin’s growing smile and blinked, ”What did I do?”

“Well you saved her, didn’t you?”

“Technically Zoro did that-”

“No, she saved me.” Luffy smiled, readjusting his hat and brushing his bangs beneath the straw,”With a spell-”

“Luffy, she isn’t a witch-”

“She is.”

“I also think she is.” Usopp spoke softly, frowning slightly.

Sanji arched his brow, ”Oh? What changed your mind.”

“She’s just..” Usopp shivered at the thought, closing his eyes briefly at the memory,”...Fucking _weird._ ”

“And so that means witchcraft?”

“Well!”

“Y’know I feel like your eyes aren’t purple enough.”

“Chopper c’mon-”

“What about that hug?” Zoro questioned, leaning back on his hands as he shifted his torso to face his capitan directly.

“Yeah..” Usopp mentioned, glancing away from Chopper’s onslaught of threats as he folded his lips together in thought.

“Luffy hugs everyone.” Chopper stated, tipping his head slightly, ”That’s just what he does.”

“Yeah but he didn’t hug Robin-chan.” Sanji pointed out, ”He went straight for Lily.”

“She was the closest to him-”

“Robin _did_ wake from a coma, though.”

Chopper frowned, turning his confused gaze onto his indifferent captain, ”Didn’t she say something to you, then? I could hear faint whispers but couldn’t make out the words themselves.”

“Oh that? She was just thanking me for not dying.”

“Huh.”

“That was definitely a long thank you embrace.” Robin mentions, eyes narrowing slightly in delight, ”Similar to those lovers often share.”

“Okay, Robin, you are _definitely_ reading into this wrong-”

“Well..” Usopp drawled, biting his lip and awkwardly rubbing his hands together, ”We don’t really _know_ what happened between them those three days.”

Nami frowned at Usopp, brows scrunching together, ”And that means they’re lovers beca…” Nami’s eyes slowly grew in horror, her mind finally registering Usopp’s implication. Her mouth fell open as she nearly cried, ”You **can’t** be serious?!”

Usopp shrugged, ” _Well?_ ”

“He’s an idiot, Usopp! All he ever cares about is meat-”

“And Lily-”

“How **_dare_ **you even suggest such a thing to me at ass o’clock in the morn-”

“What, sex?”

Nami’s mouth fell shut, her eyes slowly meeting Luffy’s as he held his side with one hand and tried to muffle his incoming laughter, ”We didn’t have _sex,_ Nami-”

Chopper squawked, “You better not have with all those injuries-”

Zoro shivered in disgust, shaking his head

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I peed or something-”

“Luffy, _please-_ ”

“And I smelled really bad too-”

“Still do-”

“Well, not as bad as before.”

“He showered after the girls, didn’t he?”

“And I was really mad because I thought she ruined my hat.”

“Why would she ruin your hat-”

“But she didn’t! And then I kept falling unconscious and then I woke up because I was wet-”

“Don’t tell me you actually peed!”

“And she held my hand-”

“Wait,” Nami pursed her lips together and stared at Luffy incredulously, ”You _held_ hands?”

Luffy nodded, ”Yeah. For…..awhile? I don’t know. I was still holding her hand when I woke up.”

“You held her hand while you were asleep?!”

“Yeah, she was scared so I gave her my hat too.”

Franky sniffed, ”That’s so _manly,_ Bro.”

“Why is this the first time we’re hearing about this?” Nami questioned, scowling towards Luffy’s blank expression.

“You wanted me to tell you before?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“So did you just take her hand?” Usopp questioned, mouth slightly parted in shock due to Luffy’s calm retelling of what appeared to be a romantic moment.

“No, she grabbed mine and asked if she could hold it.”

“But your hands are so…”

“..rough..”

“And _sweaty-_ ”

“They’re actually really nice.” Nami jumped, crying out in surprise as she stared with quiet horror as Lily’s small form appeared beside Luffy, smiling brightly.

“Lily?!”

“When did you get here?!”

“Hm?” Lily sat with her legs curled to her right side, body leaning against her left hand which was planted just a few inches from Luffy’s thigh. She had undone her braid, pink curls brushing over her shoulders as she began to curl one absentmindedly and said, ”Oh, I’m not sure. For a minute now?”

“A **_minute_ ** ?! What the **fuck** -”

“How much have you heard?”

“Besides Luffy and I holding hands? Nothing really.”

Nami let out a defeated sigh, her head falling into her hands as she said, ”I’m surrounded by idiots.”

“Do you want me to go? I only came over because I heard my name and-”

“Nah, you can stay.” Luffy flashed her a grin, which made Usopp narrow his eyes towards him in suspension.

Lily nodded slowly and let out a soft yawn, her head rolling slightly with her cheek resting against her shoulder, ”Why are you guys up so early anyways? Having another one of those meetings about me?” 

“ _What_ -why would you t-think that?”

“Oh?” Lily glanced at Usopp and smirked, ”So you weren’t talking about Luffy and I holding hands?”

“We were.”

“ _Luffy-_!”

“They’re upset about it.”

“We’re not upset, Bro. Just surprised.”

“Why’s that?” Lily glanced towards Luffy from the corner of her eye and shifted her weight so that she sat straight, relieving her left hand of the weight all the while offering it to him, ”Here. Hold it.” Luffy nodded and took it, their fingers intertwining in sync as they clasped together.

“What the fuck did I just watch?”

“He didn’t even have to ask for it..”

“How does an idiot like Luffy have any game whatsoever-”

“Don’t fucking start with _that_ shit-”

“Hm..” Lily hummed, staring down at their slotted fingers with her thumb gently tracing the back of Luffy’s hand, “Your hand is kinda sweaty.”

“Yours are really cold.”

“I’m sure that’s just because yours are really warm.”

Luffy blinked and brought the back of her hand to his cheek, frowning slightly, ”Nah, you’re freezing.”

“Are you _sure_ you two haven’t fuc-”

“Lily,” Nami began, gaining the smaller girl’s attention immediately, ”What will it take for you to stay with us?”

Zoro shot her a sideways glare, ”You bitched at me for bribery and now you’re-”

“I’m not falling for that trick so easily.” 

Nami guawked at Lily, ”W-what? What you _mean_ trick-”

Lily pushed several pink curls over her shoulder and shook her head, ”I already told Franky I’m set on winning this bet.”

“You’re not going to win.” Luffy mentioned with a sly grin.

Lily glanced at him and smirked, ” _Watch me._ ”

“So competitive…” Robin mentioned, licking her lips and grinning, ”What makes you so sure?”

Lily shrugged, ”Probably the same reason why you doubt me.”

“No, actually, I don’t think that’s it-”

“Huh.”

“Don’t actually take her seriously, Robin.”

“You know since we’re all up…” Lily began, eagerness swimming in her eyes as she beamed, ”We should go swimming!”

“No, we definitely shouldn’t.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Well half of us can’t swim.”

“Okay an-”

“And you can’t swim, Lily.”

“You don’t know that. I haven’t actually tried yet.”

“She’s not wrong.”

“Not to mention the ocean is infested with sea-kings.”

“Sea...what?”

“Basically sea monsters.”

“Oh, cool.”

“No, not cool-”

“They are _really_ cool-”

“Luffy don’t entice her-”

“I would love to swim with one.”

“You should.”

“Zoro, _please-_ ”

“I would like to see that too.”

“Robin not you too-”

“Y’know, Sunny is equipped with a pool ring.” Franky mentions suddenly, glancing down towards Lily with a smile, ”I also have floaties and other inflatable furniture.”

Lily’s eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement, ”Yes, _show me that._ ”

“Why don’t we do something else?” Nami questioned, tone slightly high as she crossed her fingers and waited with baited breath for Lily to strive away from drowning in what was basically a giant life preserver. 

Lily quirked her brow and tipped her head, ”What do you have in mind?”

_What did I have in mind?_ Nami licked her lips and replayed all of the ship’s cargo in the back of her mind. What did they do in between islands? It wasn’t like there were many activities the crew could do together that didn’t seem _tedious_ -Nami’s eyes grew as a sudden thought formed inside her head. She grinned, ”How do you feel about poker?”

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Zoro nearly crushed the cards in his right hand just as Nami placed them there. He was tempted to, _very_ tempted. The built up emotional rage from earlier events these past few days would definitely benefit from destroying the witch’s _precious_ cards. But he wasn’t that much of an idiot. Instead, Zoro carefully flicked each card to the left with the padding from his thumb and sighed heavily. He placed his chin in the palm of his left hand, eyes slowly watching the galley as everyone finally received their share. Nami didn’t seem to mind his bottled rage, choosing to instead direct everyone into certain spots at the kitchen table while making sure Lily understood what each card in her hands meant. She had taken up residency beside her on the right while Zoro had the esteemed pleasure of accompanying her on the left. 

“So why is this card so special?”

“Which one?”

Lily held out an ace of clubs to Nami, making the navigator nod and place the tip of her index finger just below the letter,”Well this is the highest card.”

“Okay.”

“And if you have four of these and a joker, you would have one of the highest hands.”

Zoro glanced back to his hand, recognizing the smiling form of the joker lying beneath two sixes, a jack and a two. He felt a soft tap against his left thigh and turned his head slightly so he could gaze down at Chopper’s confused form. The small reindeer had the cards held out of sight from Zoro’s tired gaze in his left hoof as he stared up towards Zoro with round, curious eyes,”Are you okay, Zoro?” He whispered low enough for them alone to pick up. Zoro let out a small yawn and nodded as best he could with his chin on top of his palm. 

“You should really get some sleep.” _No shit._

“Would love too, Chopper.”

Chopper set down his cards on the table and turned fully to Zoro,”Is it nightmares?”

In all honesty, Zoro had no way of knowing what they were. Every emotion he has towards his recent dreams tend to be drained by the morning, including the memory. He shrugged, yawning once again before blurrily blinking and finding his eyes trailing across the room and locking with Sanji’s. That’s right, he nearly forgot entirely about the shitty cook. He found his gaze narrowing into a cold sneer, holding Sanji’s glare for however long he needed to. Whatever it took to get it the message through.

_Fuck you._

“..ro…”

The cook had even stopped stirring the pan he held in a tight grasp, his eye heavy with something beside anger as his right arm began to shake noticeably by his side. Zoro found himself blinking in surprise, nearly taking his attention from the grey-blue iris to stare at what seemed to be an unusual function for the blond. A harsh jab at his thigh brought his attention back to Chopper’s slightly agitated gaze,”What’s up with you two? You promised me you wouldn't fight-!”

“Nami-”

“Luffy, I’m teaching. It can wait-”

“It really can’t-”

“Y’know, studies shows it can-”

“Studies? What the fuck?”

“Well I’m ready.” Usopp declared, crossing his right arm over his chest while he side eyed his hand,”And I’m sure Lily has been ready since we sat down.”

Zoro looked towards the girl in question, noticing how her distant gaze fell right onto Sanji. His lips parted, eyes flicking between the two before Lily blinked and stared at her cards,”Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure. I’m good.”

“Well that was convincing…”

“I thought so too!”

“Of course you did, Luffy!”

“Okay, enough!” Nami demanded, reshifting her form at the head of the table and leaning both elbows against the wood, a small demonic smirk forming at the corners of her mouth,”Let’s begin.”

Begin? Zoro doesn’t remember really participating in anything. The game seemed to be so complex on its own and he was _too fucking exhausted for everything_ . If it weren’t for Lily, Zoro would have wandered off by now and found a quiet dark place to endure his thoughts. But here he was, three cards down with a joker still held lightly between his thumb and palm. From what he could catch from the corner of his eye, Lily still had her ace. In fact, she still had everything. _She’s biting her lip again,_ Zoro noticed, watching with slight interest as Lily stared curiously into the five cards as if there was more to the number and angular font. She had switched them around, ace now in between a ten and queen. Her eyes swept from the collection of cards in her hands and met Zoro’s, leaving the swordsman slightly wavered by being so easily caught. 

She smiled at him and half whispered over all the commotion Sanji’s frantic cooking was producing,”Hmm? Looking to trade?”

Zoro frowned into his palm, eyes narrowing slightly,”That’s...not how you play.”

“I’m sure it is.”

“Be sure all you like. You’re still wrong.”

“Ouch. Guess that’s a no then.”

“That would be your best guess yet.”

Lily bit back a grin, shaking her head and glancing back towards the group. Luffy was being held up by Nami’s clenched fist, her voice booming into him as she shook him roughly. The rest of the crew either opted to remark on the current incident or choose this distraction to sneak a peek at other’s cards. Lily glanced away from the violent display and offered Zoro that small smile again,”Y’know, I’m very curious about your swords.”

Zoro blinked down at her, unamused,”I like having three-”

“I was only joking about the number-”

“Just like you were about my hair-”

“Well you were calling me a liar-”

“But you said so yourself that you weren’t a witch!”

“Well, I don’t really know that.” Lily placed her cards onto the table and sighed, glancing away from Zoro’s piercing gaze,”More like…..I don’t _want_ to be one.”

_What the hell did that even mean?_

“So then…” He drew Lily’s full attention once more, finding himself focusing on the blue of her eyes. _Huh, they are darker-,_ ”What is it about my swords that you care so much about?”

“Have you ever looked in a mirror?”

“Are you really gonna fucking insu-”

Lily’s eyes narrowed,”No. I’m asking sincerely.”

Zoro rolled his eyes and huffed,”Of course I've looked in a mirror. What, did you think out of 19 years I wouldn’t have been curious about my appear-”

“Well, when I look at you,” Zoro glanced back at Lily and felt something grip his abdomen. He swallowed and curled his fingers around his cheek,”The times you are with your swords that is…” She sighs on an exhale and pulls at her hair,”There’s something….weird with them. I..I don’t know…..why-I _wish_ I could tell you in greater detail but…”

“I guess the number is interesting….but not on its own…” She turns slightly towards the couch where Zoro’s three katanas were leaning against beneath a blanket of candle light,”God, what am I saying?”

“That’s not..” Zoro started, feeling surprised by his own words as Lily met his wide eyes once more,”..are you trying to suggest they’re..powerful or somethin’?”

Lily grinned,”More like...liberating. Or maybe…” She lets out a quiet laugh, biting her lip slightly but not enough to obscure her voice,”Maybe I’m just terrified.” That weighs on Zoro’s heart instantly, his muscles tensing around his shoulders and knees. The fingers on his cheek curl deeper into his hollow mouth, jaw tight as he remains stunned by her words. 

“Stop cheating, Luffy!”

“I’m not cheating! I’m winning!”

“Yeah, sure you are.”

“What cards do you have again, captain-san?”

“Oh, well I have-”

“Don’t tell her, _dumbass_!”

“Didn’t you say we couldn’t ask any questions?”

“Oh that’s right! Sorry, Robin.”

“No need to apologize. I already have my answer.”

“Wait- _what?_ ”

“Chopper, why do you only have one card?”

“Oh, wasn't it the point to set down matches if you had them?”

“Chopper, that’s go fish.”

“Speaking of fish,” Franky begins, shifting the cards in his right hand around before glancing towards Luffy and Usopp,”You two need to catch more before rations run out. The aquarium is empty.”

“Wonder why that is.” Sanji mutters loud enough for the group to hear over his chaotic cooking.

“It’s because I caught a shar-”

“No, _shit!_ ”

“We can do that after the game, Franky.” Usopp assures, setting his cards down and smiling wide,”Or, well, after _I_ win.”

“Since when do you know how to play poker?”

“Nami, I’m the _only_ one who knows here.”

“Well…”

“Yeah, but I bet you suck at..what was it? Go fish?”

“Is that a challenge, Chopper?”

“We haven’t even finished _one_ game…” Nami sighs, dropping the cards face up on the table and burying her face in the palms of her hands.

“No one’s playing anything until _after_ breakfast.”

“Can I join you?” Lily asks, looking towards Usopp as Sanji sets a plate in front of her with a charming smile. Usopp blinked at her before taking his own plate from Sanji’s hands and offering him a nod as he set it down against the table.

“You want to fish..?” Usopp asked hesitantly, picking up his fork and narrowing his eyes,”Do you even know how?”

Lily smirked,”I was a fishing champion once.”

Usopp paused, his forking hanging still in the air with a piece of omelette steaming beneath his nose,”Wait, for real-?”

“No.”

He frowns immediately and stuffs the piece into his mouth, chopping roughly until he swallows,”Y’know, I never thought witches could fish.”

“Witches are more than just _green,_ Usopp.”

“You _literally_ said they weren’t.”

“And I stand by that.”

“Of course you do.”

Lily picked up her glass of water and took a languid sip. She licked her lips and held Usopp’s narrowed gaze with a mischievous glint in her blue irises,”Worried I’ll catch more than you?”

Usopp choked on the food in his mouth, fist pounding his chest as he glared towards Lily and huffed once he caught his breath,”Oh, you’re _on_!”

Satisfied with herself, Lily smiled wide and ate in silence for the rest of the meal. Zoro could barely keep his eyes off her smile, Lily’s words echoing in his mind as he pushed the food on his plate around in silence. What was he supposed to do with this woman? What were any of them going to do? Letting out a sigh, Zoro ate at a slightly faster pace than his captain and finished. As the stool scraped beneath him, Zoro grasped his swords and left the galley with another pounding headache blooming against his temple.

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“So, how am I supposed to-”

“Here,” Lily blinked, gazing curiously at Luffy as he sat against the ship’s railing and outstretched his hand towards her with a small grin,”I’ll help you up.”

Lily’s brows drew together, her hand instantly taking his as she questioned,”How are you going to-oop!” Luffy tugged her upward, arm circling around her waist as she was hoisted above the banister and set beside him. Lily struggled to keep herself balanced, her breath halted as she stared intensely towards the lapping waves below. She let out a shaky breath when he released her, her right hand feeling slightly chilled without his. Lily glanced at it hesitantly, curling it slowly before spreading each finger over the wood beneath her. 

Luffy was smiling towards the sparkling ocean, his right hand gripped tightly around the handle of his rod,”So, you really know how to fish?”

Lily let out a soft laugh and shook her head,”Luffy, how would I know that?”

“Well, you told Usopp-”

“Luffy, were you seriously not paying attention at all during our conversation?” Usopp said, approaching the two with each hand clasping a similar fishing pole.

Luffy grinned, “Of course I was-”

”Let me guess,” Usopp began, rolling his eyes,”You were paying attention to _Lily_.”

Lily quirked a brow at that,”Why wouldn’t he? I was a part of that conversation.”

Usopp stared at her as if she had just jumped off the ship then. He shook his head once more, climbed onto the railing and pushed a rod into her grasp,”Here. Let me set up the other rod and then I’ll teach you.”

Lily nodded, smiling wide as she traced the worn handle with her fingers and bit her lip in anticipation. She watched as Usopp rotated a circular gear, held the rod back and tossed it forward with the string flying through the wind and diving into the water. She hummed to herself then, following his direction and managing to toss the cord just as he did into the awaiting sea. Usopp glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and raised his right brow,”Thought you said you didn’t know how to fish.”

Lily shrugged,”I don’t really. I do, however, know how to follow others.” She offered him a smile which he returned with a huff.

“You’re going to lose, by the way.”

“Oh? Am I?”

“I actually catch fish, unlike Luffy.”

“I catch fish!”

“You’ve only caught sharks and seakings!”

“And those _are_ fish!”

Usopp rolled his eyes and tipped his head to the left, letting out a sigh as it cracked. Lily smiled and stared towards the horizon feeling somewhat peaceful as the crisp morning air tousled through her hair. She blinked, feeling herself grow stiff as the air continued to pillow through her dress and around her legs. She sucked in a breath, feeling her heart race within her ribcage as a distant memory plagued her mind.

_Who…?_

“Lily?”

She exhaled softly, her eyes meeting Luffy’s as he smiled,”Are you nervous?”

She frowned,”Why would I be nervous?”

“Because you look nervous.” Usopp stated, turning so he could face her fully with concern,”You’re also shaking.” He mentions, gesturing with his hand towards her arms as they had, indeed, been trembling against her lap. Her grip on the rod was loose, fingers twitching as they grew increasingly cold.

Lily licked her lips,”I...I’m not shaking on purpose. I swear-”

“It’s okay, we’re not upset or anything.”

“Luffy’s right. But if you’re not careful, you’re going to drop-”

A larger gust casts the rod from her grasp and into the sea below. Lily gasped, her body curling against the wood as she watched the waves gently tug the fishing pole further and further towards the ship. Usopp let out a sigh beside her and set his rod onto the deck of the ship,”I’ll go get it.” 

“No!”

Usopp paused, his fingers curling around the railing as he peered at Lily with curiosity. She honestly didn’t know what she was saying at this point, but her hand was on his arm, grasping it tightly as she stared at him with a horrified expression,”Don’t do it.”

“Lily, how else am I going to get the fishing rod?”

“You can’t-”

“I can swim, Lily-”

“ _Please_ don’t go in the water.”

“Lily, what are you-”

“It’s not safe.”

Usopp stared past Lily, no doubt meeting Luffy’s gaze and returned his attention onto her with a knowing expression. He nodded slowly and curled his hand onto hers, gently uncurling it from his arm,”Okay. I won’t.” She grasped his hand out of reflex, feeling her breath coming out in short puffs. She didn’t realize how hard she was holding onto Usopp, nor when her other hand curled into the soft skirt of Nami’s dress. 

“Lily?”

“Hm?” She swallowed, glancing towards Luffy who also set his rod aside and faced her fully,”What’s going on?”

She shivered at another cold gust of wind,”I-I don’t know…..”

“We should get you to Chopper-”

Lily instantly released Usopp’s hand and shook her head,”No! I’m fine-I just….I need to calm down and-”

“Lily…” Usopp began, voice soft and eyes wide with growing horror as his gaze rose above her. He pointed with his left hand, arm shaking almost as much as her own as his jaw dropped wide,”Y-your...hair!”

Lily slowly lifted her hand, eyes growing as she felt her long locks rise upward until they were floating straight above her head. She went to pull them down, her other hand joining as another large gust of wind passed through her and curled around her neck. She shivered, gaze turning towards the horizon and narrowing onto grey clouds,”..No..”

“Lily-”

She went to look at Luffy when something cold settled between her shoulder blades. She parted her lips, his name on the tip of her tongue as she held out her hand just as another strong gust sent her flying off the railing. Everything seemed to slow, her weight shifting as the splashing water drenched her dress and her voice burned as she cried,” _LUFFY!”_

_He was fast_ , she thought, watching as his arm stretched impossibly towards her, his familiar hand clutching her waist and drawing her back up into the ship, body colliding with his as the two rolled on the deck and slammed into the opposite railing. Lily could feel the soft tufts of grass beneath her head, the arm wrapped around her tensing slightly as Luffy lifted himself on the other and stared into her eyes with growing concern,”Are you okay?”

She stared up at him, her vision slightly hazy as she tried to remember where she was. Her breathing had slowed, the back of her throat burning from the rush of almost dying once again. She blinked back the clouded vision and asked softly,”Why can your body stretch?”

Luffy stared at her for a minute and smiled,”I ate the gum-gum fruit.”

Lily’s brows furrowed, her lips parted but no words coming to mind for any sort of response. Which was probably for the best, considering the desperate cries of her name followed by Chopper, Usopp and Nami kneeling beside them. She could feel Chopper’s hoof on her throat as well as her wrist,”Lily, can you hear me?”

She blinked at him and frowned,”No.”

He huffed at her then, narrowing his eyes,”Take this _seriously_ , please! What happened?” Chopper glanced at Luffy and glared,” _What happened?”_

“Chopper, this huge wind just pushed her off Sunny!” Usopp exclaimed, hands fisted in his curly locks as he stared with terror at Lily,”And her hair was just floating!”

“You can get off her now, Luffy.” Nami stated, rolling her eyes and tugging her captain off of Lily’s pliant form.

Lily let out a drawled sigh, feeling her breathing grow sluggish and painful. She swallows, her eyes barely focusing on Chopper’s pink nose as she whispers absentmindedly,”I’m so...sleepy..”

Chopper’s eyes grew in horror,”Lily, don’t close your eyes!” He took her face into his hooves and cried,”Stay awake!”

She smiled then, laughing softly as she muttered,”What...for?”

“-ily!”

“I’ll...be fine..”

“-ly!”

_I always am, aren’t I? Her eyes drifted shut, unconsciousness numbing her senses._

  
  
  
  


**_I wonder,_ **

  
  
  
  
  
  


**_where will I wake up this time?_ **


End file.
